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[DropThePuck]

It began in Montreal on Wednesday when he held talks with Reebok, one of three companies he has agreed to endorse so far among more than a dozen that have contacted his agent. By Thursday he was in Burbank shooting pucks into a clothes dryer for Jay Leno on "The Tonight Show." On Friday he skated with NHL stars including Chris Chelios and Luc Robitaille and took time out for an interview.

Crosby did two more interviews Saturday, with Vanity Fair and ESPN the Magazine. He has a Vanity Fair photo shoot Monday, more business meetings Tuesday in Vancouver, Canada, and his first visit to Pittsburgh on Wednesday. That will wrap up a dizzying week as the young star takes part in a prospects camp and a news conference.

Oh, and today is his 18th birthday, which he'll celebrate with his usual morning workout (four hours in a gym and on a track, supervised by a personal trainer) and an evening skate in El Segundo, sandwiched around a family barbecue.

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How NHL greats Bobby Orr, Gordie Howe, Wayne Gretzky, Bobby Hull, Mario Lemieux and Luc Robitaille fared in their first seasons:

AGE PLAYER     TEAM     YRS.   GP  G   A
18  Orr        Boston  '66-67  61  13  28      
18  Howe       Detroit '46-47  58   7  15      
19  Gretzky    Edm.    '79-80  79  51  86      
19  Hull       Chicago '57-58  70  13  34      
19  Lemieux    Pitts.  '84-85  73  43  57      
20  Robitaille Kings   '86-87  79  45  39  

[Francaise]

Thanks DTP......

[DropThePuck]

Daigle knows better than most what Crosby is going through. Daigle was the much anticipated first pick in the 1993 entry draft by Ottawa. But he never was able to reach the superstar status he was branded with coming out of junior.

"There is no blueprint for how to do it," Daigle said. "My situation was different because I was drafted by an expansion team."

Daigle said Crosby is luckier because his is going to a proven NHL club with a number of veteran players like Mario Lemieux.

"It is a blessing for him (Crosby)," Daigle said. "He is going to live with Mario. He is learning from the best."

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[DropThePuck]

Some confirmation from peers:

"Good guy. Very good guy," said no less an educated source than Harvard man Noah Welch. "I'm turning 23 in a couple of days, and he's, what, just 19?" To be precise, 18 years and five days old. "Just turned? Oh, wow. He's very mature. Comes across like he's 30."

Ryan Stone from Brandon of the Western Hockey League added: "I've seen him before, at Junior World Championships camp and stuff. He's living in the moment, and that's good. A really down-to-earth guy."

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[DropThePuck]

"It's getting used to the speed, and in a practice atmosphere like that the passes are harder, the guys are stronger, so getting used to it is going to take a little bit of time," Crosby said. "I definitely see a bit of improvement as I go on out there, It's going to help me, definitely, when I come here."

The Penguins have another way to get Crosby quickly up to speed, by putting him on a line with Lemieux. Coach Eddie Olczyk hasn't said if he will do so, yet it seems certain he'll pair the two at some point, even if not for every shift of every game.

"That would be unbelievable, but I'm not going to have any expectations going in," Crosby said. "I'm not sure how the lines are going to shape up but, if I had the opportunity, it would be a dream."
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"I'm excited to play with any guys in the NHL, but when you see some of the names they're bringing in, I mean it's going to be a great experience," he said. "No. 1 draft picks go to a place that's rebuilding and I feel fortunate to have the opportunity to play with a team that's going to compete every night."

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