Crosby taking it all in stride

OTTAWA -- Jack Johnson was in 10th grade when he met Sidney Crosby.

It was at Shattuck-St. Mary's, the Minnesota prep school with a hockey program known for churning out college and pro players. Johnson and Crosby were the only two sophomores on the varsity team.

"We had heard some hype about him, obviously not as much as there was a year later, but all of us had heard some hype," Johnson said. "All of us figured yeah, another person who's supposed to be the next (Wayne) Gretzky. So, we just kind of blew it off. Then, we realized hey, this kid can play. He wasn't too bad."

The two parted ways after that, Crosby going to the Quebec Major Junior League and Johnson to the U.S. National Development program. But they remained friends, talking two or three times a week, and two years later, Crosby and Johnson roomed together for the NHL entry draft in Ottawa.

Johnson was the top-ranked defenseman in the draft.

Crosby was arguably the most anticipated prospect since Mario Lemieux in 1984, and he was going first overall to the Penguins, a matter that was settled just over a week earlier with the draft lottery.

So, how did they spend their last few quiet hours Saturday before the 30 NHL teams and numerous media outlets gathered in a fourth-floor ballroom of the downtown hotel for a scaled-back version of the draft?

They went to the hotel gym and worked out.

"We just figured we'd go work out because we knew no one else was," Johnson said. "What you're always looking for as an athlete is to do more than other people. So, we decided what the heck, we'd go work out."

A strong work ethic. That's one trait you often hear associated with Crosby, whom the Penguins expectedly made the first overall pick yesterday.

Those who know Crosby also remark at how well he handles the spotlight, saying he's mature will beyond his 17 years and far more comfortable than most adults would be under such scrutiny, let alone a teenager.

For instance, at 12:17 p.m., Crosby walked across the stage, accepted his new sweater from Lemieux and pulled it over his head.

Nearly four hours later, the 17-year-old from Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia, was still being escorted by NHL media personnel from interview to photo session and back to interview again. Remarkably, except perhaps to those who know him, he was still smiling, still gracious and still being polite enough to act as if he hadn't already been asked each question 30 times that day alone.

"He's been a superstar in his age group from the time he was 9 or 10 years old; this isn't something that's happened in the last couple years," said Blair Mackasey, director of player development for Team Canada. "He's used to the pressure and being the focus of attention. This, for him, is normal."

Stephen Dixon, a 2003 draft choice whom the Penguins signed to an entry-level contract earlier this week, has known Crosby since they were young boys growing up playing hockey in Halifax, Nova Scotia. They played together once on a select team but not again until they played for Canada's Under-20 team at the World Junior Championship in 2004.

"He's always been a great guy," Dixon said. "He's always been a hard player to play against. Then I had the chance to play with him in the World Junior Championship. He's a great teammate and someone everyone likes being around. He handles the pressure really well. Everywhere he goes, people want autographs from him. He's really good with the media and the fans. You would think it might go to his head, but it doesn't. He's just another guy in the dressing room."

Crosby was only 16 years old and the youngest player ever to compete in the prestigious international tournament in 2004, Mackasey said.

"It was a very simple decision on our part," Mackasey said. "He was going to make the team if he was good enough to make the team. His first year he played more of a third line, fourth line role and then took more of an offensive role in 2005 in Grand Forks (N.D.)."

But what impressed Penguins head scout Greg Malone was that even as the superstar of this last tournament, Crosby bought into Canada's team concept.

"They won the gold medal, but it wasn't the Sidney Crosby Show," Malone said. "He was willing to sit back and be a team player. Whatever they asked him to do, he did. This is a special kid on the ice. He'll do the dirty work, and you don't see that from a lot of guys with his talent when he has the puck. He was doing his own dirty work to get the puck and also backchecking."

Dixon was in Halifax yesterday with several other locals who either played with or against Crosby growing up to watch the draft on television. He said that around town there were plenty of people watching at restaurants and bars.

"Not too many people from around here go first overall, so it's pretty huge," Dixon said. "Everyone's really excited. He's proven himself over and over, every time there was a doubt. He's played great under pressure his whole life and all the attention and all he's achieved he definitely deserves."

With all the talk about his maturity, both on the ice and off, it would seem that Crosby is 17 going on 27, not 18. But, Johnson assured, he still has a kid side to him.

The two are competitive in everything they do together. They partnered up at the NHL combine because they knew they'd perform better if they were pushing each other, said Johnson, who was drafted third overall by the Carolina Hurricanes. They're always trying to one-up each other, no matter what the competition.

"Throwing a baseball around, first one who drops it loses," Johnson said. "Or working out, we'll do sprints and races and whoever loses has to buy lunch. Anything we can think of, really. It helps a lot having a friend here who I've known for years. We can talk about it if there's anything bothering us, but we can also be normal kids together."

Crosby had dinner Friday night with Lemieux, and the two talked about what Crosby might expect when training camp opens: the speed of the game, the size and strength of NHL players, the 82-game grind. And Lemieux told him how the people of Pittsburgh were excited to welcome a new young superstar to their midst.

Pressure?

Not really.

"It sinks in a little bit," Crosby said. "But I try not to put the added pressure on myself. I look at it as excitement. Going to a city with that much energy is going to be fun because it's fun to play around people like that. I'm looking forward to it as a challenge."