Quote:
NEW YORK (AP) -- Sidney Crosby is a week away from joining Mario Lemieux and the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The Penguins beat out the remaining 29 NHL teams Friday in an unprecedented draft lottery that gave every club a chance to get the first pick and nab Crosby -- the 17-year-old phenom from the Canadian juniors.
He will be chosen first next Saturday in Ottawa.
Pittsburgh joined Columbus, Buffalo and the New York Rangers with three balls in the 48-ball bin. The lottery was weighted to give teams that struggled in recent years a better chance.
The Penguins used that and the four-leaf clover general manager Craig Patrick carried in his palm to their advantage, edging Anaheim for No. 1.
Pittsburgh has already said it will take Crosby.
``I think he's a fantastic fit,'' Patrick said. ``To be able to add someone of Sidney's talent, my mind goes round and round with possibilities.''
Crosby has been the MVP two straight years while playing for Rimouski in the Canadian Hockey League. He has 120 goals and 183 assists in 121 games.
Now he'll get a chance to play with Lemieux, who stars for and owns the Penguins.
``We trained together and skated together,'' Crosby said. ``He's been great just to be around him. To see the way he handled himself, I learned a lot.''
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This should be a very fun season to watch. I wonder what season ticket packages are going to run this year.