The Tonight Show with Jay Leno

Not only did he appear on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno," NBC brought the Stanley Pittsburgh Steelers Authentic Jerseys Cup to the training camp in Wilkes-Barre to feature the trophy and the tandem of Mario Lemieux and Crosby for its preseason hockey special. A book about him is being rushed into circulation, while magazines from Vanity Fair, GQ and Reader's Digest Canada are devoting pages to Crosby along with Sports Illustrated.Crosby-mania has been in full bloom ever since that ping-pong ball went the Penguins' way in the draft lottery."Nobody is sure where it's headed," said Ken Sawyer, the Penguins' president who confessed to being in a state of shock when the team was assured of drafting Crosby. "This is a great moment to savor and save for a long time. He's one of those players that you'll notice on the ice every time he takes a shift."Crosby has made an impact on the Penguins, who finished last in the standings the last time regular-season games were played and had the most sluggish ticket sales in the NHL. There is a chance the club can sell out every ticket to every home game, although Lemieux cautions that the team still needs a new arena to succeed, and NBC rearranged the TV schedule to include more Penguins games on the network after the draft.Pittsburgh sports fans were treated last year to the emergence of two rookie award-winners -- Jason Bay of the Pirates and Ben Roethlisberger of the Steelers. But neither came with the hype lavished on Crosby, who shares the cover of the team media guide with Lemieux.It was pointed out that as long as Lemieux is Mike Wallace Jersey around, Crosby won't be the brightest star on the ice. Not so fast, according to Lemieux, who turns 40 today and is older than Crosby's father."He might. He's got a chance," said Lemieux, who added that Crosby has been "even more" than he thought he might be.Crosby won't be the biggest skater on the ice. But even novices can tell he has explosive speed, he's tough to knock off his skates, he doesn't shy away from contact and he has exceptional vision. He also has some qualities that can only be described as being quaint, such as his insistence that he would not sign a No. 87 jersey with the Penguins logo on it until he was officially told last Saturday he had earned a roster spot.It's part of the Lemieux lore that No. 66 scored his first goal on his first shot of his first shift in his first NHL game, which came in Boston Garden."I just remember being really nervous and being anxious to start my career," Lemieux said. "It's a dream come true, a chance to compete with guys you grew up watching. He's going to have a long day. Seven-thirty probably won't come soon enough for him."Penguins coach Eddie Olczyk remembers what it was like for him when he opened his career in his hometown of Chicago."You're sitting there, shaking in your boots," Olczyk said. "This is the moment you've always wanted. Sometimes, you just have to let it go. Let your natural instincts take over and enjoy it, because you'll never have that moment again. Whether you're playing your first game or your 1,500th, or you're turning 40 years old, it's always exciting. It's a great honor to play in this league and know the players that have come before you. Very few people get that opportunity."Because of the financial flexibility the Penguins gained with the new labor agreement, they've been able to sign free agents to deepen their talent base. Tonight, Crosby will be centering a line that includes Mark Recchi and John LeClair, who have more than 800 NHL goals between them."He doesn't have to be a savior. He just has to be himself," Recchi said. "The skill level is extremely high, but we have to be realistic. If he scores 25 goals and has 60 or 70 Santonio Holmes Jersey points, I think that's a great year for his first year. People get a little carried away. Just let him play. Let him enjoy his first year. He'll grow into the responsibilities of being the leader of this hockey club. The good thing is they surrounded him with enough good players and enough veterans that the burden's not going to be on him. He can just be part of a good hockey club.""I've done what I could do to prepare myself for this. That's all that matters. You have to play with confidence. You can't afford to have doubt. Everything counts now."-- Sidney Crosby,