OTTAWA - Sidney Crosby sat at the dais, meaty forearms folded in front of him, and tried his best to look serious. A black baseball cap was pulled low over his brow, obscuring a face that had long been used to sell the game, but never to celebrate a playoff series win.

Last night was his first, as he and his fiery band of Pittsburgh Penguins swept a team that had steamrolled them 12 months earlier. Crosby assisted on the opening goal and sealed the outcome with one of his own in a 3-1 win over the Ottawa Senators in their Eastern Conference quarter-final.

It was the first taste of success in the National Hockey League playoffs for Crosby, as it was for many on a team that only averages 28.1 years of age. They will now have time to rest, and to wait.

“It feels great,” Crosby said. “Obviously, it was a different situation last year, and it definitely hurt. We went through some learning experiences there, but responded well here in the first round … we played hard the last four games, and earned it.” Full Story…