Crosby has 72 points in 43 games (he missed three with a groin injury) and could hit 150 by averaging slightly more than two points per game for the rest of the season _ about what he averaged down the stretch of his rookie season. At the break, he leads Tampa Bay's Martin St. Louis by six points and Washington's 21-year-old Alexander Ovechkin by seven points.

In Dallas, there are certain to be more of the inevitable comparisons to Gretzky.

Crosby is the youngest player voted as an All-Star starter since the fan balloting began in 1986. He almost certainly would have been voted a starter last season, too, at age 18, but there was no All-Star game because of the Olympics. (And has anyone in medal-less Canada forgotten he was passed over for Team Canada?)

The game has changed considerably since Gretzky was setting virtually every scoring record imaginable _ there is far more contact and much larger goalie gear now _ yet Crosby is keeping pace with Gretzky's early seasons. Gretzky tied for the league lead with 137 points at 19.

Crosby wishes he could hush all that talk.

"I'll always be the first guy to tell you there is never going to be another Wayne Gretzky," Crosby said before getting three points on Saturday against Toronto in his final pre-All-Star game. "But it's always been a compliment when the comparison has been there and it's something that motivates you, I think, as a player to do well."

For the first time, Crosby and Gretzky will be on opposing sides this week when the Penguins play the Gretzky-coached Phoenix Coyotes on Saturday.

"Crosby has a great sense, a little bit like Gretzky, in the way he sees the play," Florida Panthers coach Jacques Martin said. "His anticipation is outstanding."

Still, for now, Crosby isn't even the leading scorer in his own household. Just as he did as a rookie, Crosby is living at Lemieux's Pittsburgh-area mansion. The two sometimes go days without seeing each other, and Crosby says they talk little about hockey when they do share the dining room table.

Despite being a millionaire a few times over thanks to his $850,000 (euro656,000)-a-year base salary and numerous endorsements, he always gets gift certificates from his grandmother for Christmas. This year, by the way, she upgraded from Subway to Outback Steakhouse.

Crosby is looking forward to the All-Star game but, given his personality, doesn't expect to be overwhelmed by it. Gretzky, by the way, didn't score in his first All-Star game. Lemieux had two goals and an assist in 1985 and was chosen as the MVP.

If he stays healthy, Crosby should play in the next 15 to 20 All-Star games.

"But I don't think what I do or how I handle it is going to change," he said. "When you get an experience like that, it's best to enjoy it and not worry about the things going on around you."

1

2