Youth versus experience in Stanley Cup

PITTSBURGH – His first NHL goal didn’t leave him in awe. Neither did winning his first scoring title or MVP award, even if The Kid accomplished all of this while still a teenager.

So being the youngest team captain in Stanley Cup finals history isn’t about to get Sidney Crosby all giggly and gushy.

It’s taken him only three seasons to transform the Penguins from the NHL’s second-worst team into one of its best, so Crosby is understandably calm and confident as Pittsburgh begins preparing for the Cup finals against Detroit that begin Saturday night.

That’s exactly how coach Michel Therrien expects Crosby to be – a young leader who is exceptionally perceptive and never rattled.

Not even by his first visit to hockey’s biggest showcase.

“He’s been a great leader, he’s been a great captain at such a young age – to be able to concentrate on both sides of the ice as he does, this is how a team will get success,” Therrien said Tuesday. “When you’ve got your leader buying into it, the other players buy in as well. … Sidney is our leader and the players follow.”

Even if Crosby, at age 20, is the youngest captain in Stanley Cup history and is only about half the age of Detroit captain Nicklas Lidstrom, the unrivaled 38-year-old defenseman who poses a significant challenge to Pittsburgh’s scoring stars.

The NHL has lucked into perhaps its best possible matchup for these Stanley Cup finals, the fresh-faced Crosby and the oh-so-young Penguins vs. the tradition-filled Red Wings, who are trying to take home their fourth Cup since 1997.

It’s a rising new power against an established old one – Detroit has had eight consecutive seasons with 100 or more points – in a series in which there should be plenty of offense but also excellent defense and goaltending.