And the first pick in the 2005 NHL entry draft goes to. . .

the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Well, this past Friday afternoon the world (or at least Canada- I don't think anyone else in the world really cared) knew where the next "Great One" of hockey would begin his NHL sojourn. Sidney Crosby would be donning the yellow and black and joining the flock of Penguins in Pittsburgh.

This is great for both the NHL and for Sid "The Kid".

Why is it great for the NHL? Because he's going to the eastern US which, in my humble opinion, is FAR better then having him cast off to an NHL wasteland such as Florida, Anaheim or Carolina. Even though Pittsburgh was a franchise on the verge of extinction you have to remember that that was in the old NHL. With the new Ice Age Pittsburgh could very well recapture some of the magic they had when Mario was in his prime and they were winning Stanley Cups. Crosby's presence, coupled with the chance to see him on a line with Mario and Mark Recchi, will put butts in the seats. And not just in Pittsburgh either. This kid will sell out road games as well, much like Lebron does in the NBA.

This gives Pittsburgh yet another hard-working Canadian citizen to model before their blue-collar public. The Pirates have Jason Bay and the Penguins have Crosby. Add the Steelers' Ben Roethlisberger into the mix and you've got 3 young, high-quality pro athletes practicing their trade in your city. Not bad for the U.S.A.'s version of Steeltown.

Going to Pittsburgh is also a great thing for Crosby. With all the hype surrounding this kid and all the pressure that is being hurled on him as the savior of pro hockey, who better to learn under than Mario? Not only will Mario take off some of the immense media pressure that will hound this kid in the next year, but it will also relieve a lot of the on-ice pressure that was sure to come his way. Imagine if he ended up in Florida or Minnesota, teams with no stars whatsoever. He'd be destroyed on a nightly basis.

In Pittsburgh, assuming Mario remains healthy, you can focus on Crosby but that means paying less attention to Mario. And who ever heard of paying LESS attention to Mario? That's crazy.

If I'm Sidney Crosby and his family I'm thinking that this is the best thing that could have happened to him. Well, perhaps next to going to Detroit and getting to learn from the Greatest One, Stevie Yzerman.

And let's not forget that the past two years the Pen's have already welcomed a couple of high-profile draft picks into the fold in Marc-Andre Fleury and Evgeni Malkin. Is there a team that has had 3 better first round picks in successive years at any time? I guess we can't really say that for another few years but all 3 look to be the real deal.

Anyways, I think the NHL and its fans should be excited about what lies ahead. Sure Crosby didn't end up in a bigger market such as New York or Chicago or Los Angeles but I think there's still great potential for an amazing story to be written here. I for one am really looking forward to watching each chapter unfold.