Looks like Mario Lemieux will have a new roommate this year.
"You mean another kid?" said Lemieux, who lives in Sewickley with wife Nathalie and their four children. "It's going to be up to Sidney (Crosby). We haven't discussed it thus far, but if he wants to stay with us we have some room."
When told of Lemieux's comments, Crosby said, "I'd definitely take that opportunity to be around someone like that. I'm going to learn as much as I can on the ice but off the ice I don't think there's anyone better. He's been through a lot of similar things and I can only take good things away from that."
Crosby's next plan is to travel to Los Angeles for a week to train before attending the development camp for the Canadian national under-20 team being held Aug. 10-15 at Whistler and Vancouver, B.C.
The NHL and NHLPA came to a joint agreement yesterday that free-agent season will open at noon Monday instead of midnight. Teams and free agents will not be permitted to enter into negotiations before that time.
Matt Clackson, son of former Penguins player Kim Clackson, was drafted in the seventh and final round yesterday. He was selected 215th overall by the Philadelphia Flyers. Taylor Chorney, son of former Penguins defenseman Marc, was drafted in the second round (36th overall) by the Edmonton Oilers. One name that didn't get called was Christian Hanson, son of Dave Hanson and a former Peters Township standout.
A record eight Americans were taken in the first round of the Entry Draft yesterday, surpassing the previous total of seven in both 1986 and 2003. It was also the first time that two Americans were selected in the top three with Camden, N.J. native Bobby Ryan going second overall to Anaheim and Indianapolis, Ind., native Jack Johnson going third to Carolina.
The Carolina Hurricanes traded forward Jeff O'Neill to the Toronto Maple Leafs yesterday for a conditional 2006 draft pick. O'Neill had 198 goals and 218 assists during his nine seasons with the franchise. He scored a career-high 41 goals in 2000-01.
"There's never a good time to say goodbye to somebody," Hurricanes general manager Jim Rutherford said. "Jeff was the first transaction I made as a general manager, and as our first pick in Hartford. He's been a real good player for us."
The trade comes just over two weeks after a tragic loss for the O'Neill family. Donny O'Neill, Jeff's older brother, was killed in a car crash July 21 in Vaughan, Ont., just north of Toronto.
