Sidney Crosby became the youngest player ever to win the NHL scoring title this season, and now the Pittsburgh Penguins are making him the youngest team captain in NHL history.The first thought that came to my mind was, just like Christy at BTJ, that Yzerman's captaincy record might be in danger. In fact, the thought first burst to my mind when Crosby was named alternate captain. Yes, I am that paranoid. Crosby will have to play until the age of 39, and stay captain of the Penguins for the duration of that time to challenge Yzerman's record (or 38, if we are going by seasons played and there are no more seasons lost to lockout.)
Although it seems like a tremendous task, I could see it happening. Because of the salary cap, high payrolls are hard to maintain, but really, who wouldn't the Penguins give up to keep Crosby? I can see them ditching Malkin or Staal when they hit UFA; anybody on the Penguins could be traded or cut to make room for Sid the Kid. And, with the player maximum, as long as the Penguins give him as much as any team could, why would he test FA?
I know the Pens aren't a big market, but they are a hockey market, and with some long playoff runs in the future, and el Sid at the helm, they could probably make the revenue to simply hold on to him no matter what. But the bigger question for the Pens, really, is: can Crosby display one quarter of the leadership Yzerman did? If so, they're in real good shape.
