Sidney Crosby Takes the Awards and the Abuse

When a man counts 80 goals and 119 assists in 75 hockey games, it comes as no surprise when they hand him a big shiny trophy at the end of the year.

17-year-old Sidney Crosby is the Player of the Year in Canadian junior hockey, becoming the first player to win the award twice. The other nominees included two great goal scorers, Corey Perry and Eric Fehr. But the outcome of Tuesday's announcement could not have been more predictable.

The teenager who can do it all picked up his award Tuesday afternoon, and celebrated by leading his Rimouski Oceanic to victory a few hours later. Rimouski defeated Ottawa 4-3 at the 2005 Memorial Cup tournament, and Crosby did well to escape the game with four limbs, two eyes and enough teeth to feed himself. The Ottawa players made a target of him throughout the evening, while the referee turned a blind eye to the abuse.

''They played me tight but I don't know if that's the roughest I've ever seen,'' Crosby told reporters after a decent night - a goal and an assist and several missed breakaway chances.

Watching it all from the crowd was NHL commissioner Gary Bettman. Some time soon, Sidney Crosby will be the NHL's most famous player and most valuable asset. Mr. Bettman might want to consider which Sidney Crosby he wants: the one who fills arenas and wins scoring championships, or the one who sits in the press box with a broken jaw or shattered wrist because we don't want referees "deciding the game."