Thursday, Feb. 04, 2010

Sidney Crosby

Hockey
Canada

Pressure? What pressure? You're only the greatest hockey player on the planet, probably the best since Wayne Gretzky, and a Stanley Cup winner at the age of 21. The sport is the national treasure of your country, which is not only hosting these Olympics but demanding gold; yet the men's team has won just one Olympic title since 1952. Nah, Crosby needn't worry about disappointing the Canuck puckheads. The star center for the Pittsburgh Penguins is making his Olympic debut: Sid the Kid was left off the 2006 team by Gretzky himself, since The Great One thought Crosby was too young. The squad could have used him — Canada lost in the quarters, and over the last four games of the Olympic tournament it failed to score in 11 of the 12 periods. "I'm trying to worry about things [with the Penguins] right now," Crosby, 22, told reporters in January when asked about Olympic expectations. "When it's time, it's time." Yes, it's time, Sidney: an entire nation will be watching.