Can Sidney Crosby win the National Hockey League scoring title this year?
Wow, what an accomplishment that would be, considering he missed the first 20 games of the 82-game schedule amid suggestions he may miss the whole season, or - perish the thought - never play again.
But there he was on Nov. 21, back to his old swashbuckling self, skating circles, winning battles for the puck in the corners, bumping into opponents, taking a couple of hard hits and dominating the game as he did for half of last season when he racked up 66 points by early January and was running away with the scoring race.
The Kid's comeback game was spectacular: Crosby scored twice and set up two others against the Islanders. He was blanked in his second game, but then picked up three points in his third outing. Through seven games, he had 12 points. Taking that average (1.714 points per game) for the remainder of the season (another 55 games) would leave Crosby with 106 points and an outside chance for the Pittsburgh Penguins' superstar to win a scoring title.
Toronto's Phil Kessel and Philadelphia's Claude Giroux, the NHL points leaders on the night of Crosby's return, are on pace for around 105 points. Normally, expecting anyone to overcome a 30-point head start with one-quarter of the season gone would be foolhardy to suggest, but when you're dealing with one of the game's all-time greats - yes, Crosby truly belongs in the hockey stratosphere with Gretzky, Orr, Lemieux and Howe - anything is possible. Winning a scoring title in spite of missing 20 games would only add to The Kid's legend.
Wrote Michael Grange of Rogers Sportsnet: "He spent 11 months sidelined, waiting for his clearly special brain to heal. Meanwhile, the hockey world was holding their own hopes for his safe return as dearly as a cup of arena hot chocolate on a cold morning. And now No. 87 was back. And Crosby, a great one, put on a show."
Hockey fans everywhere hope the show rolls on. A scoring title would be nice. A Stanley Cup would be wonderful. But a healthy Sid for the rest of the season, and beyond, would be the best hockey gift of all.
Headline at TheOnion.com: "NHL's critics find no evidence that penalty box reforms players."
Found in Steve Harvey's 'Bottom Ten': Actor Tim Allen, as the dad on the sitcom, 'Last Man Standing': "College is important. Without college there'd be no college football."
Harvey again: "Ex-NFL QB Joe Kapp, age 73, knocked down former rival Angelo Mosca at a Canadian Football League annual alumni luncheon, then kicked him. Kapp is expected to be suspended from the next two annual alumni luncheons."
R.J Currie of sportsdeke.com: "The posted speed limit on Ole Miss campus is 18 mph - the jersey number of ex-Rebels football great Archie Manning. Let's be thankful Wayne Gretzky never played college hockey."
Currie again: "Bears quarterback Jay Cutler will be out six weeks after breaking one of his thumbs. In a related story, the Broncos released Kyle Orton after six weeks of twiddling his."
Question from a reader to Norman Chad of the Washington Post: "If the NBA season had been completely lost, would tattoo shop owners have been eligible for a federal bailout?"
Good question from Dwight Perry of the Seattle Times: "Three NHL coaches got fired in three days, raising the question: In a sport with ice, do they call it a hot seat or a wet one?"
Comedy writer Alan Ray, on why Kris Humphries' divorce from Kim Kardashian might take a while: "As a New Jersey Net, he's not used to initiating a fast break."
Headline at Fark.com: "Superfan has worn a Colts shirt for the last 3,000 consecutive days. Still doesn't stink as badly as the Colts."
Scott Ostler of the San Francisco Chronicle: The season will start with a televised triple-header on Christmas Day and because the NBA is sensitive to family issues, the actual Christmas holiday has been rescheduled for Feb. 19."
Ostler again: "NBA players, like newborns, desperately need assistance. The typical NBA player has no clue how to check into a hotel. Tell a player, 'You must get from your hotel to the arena on your own,' and you are looking at Robinson Crusoe."
Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel on the possibility NBA star Dwight Howard might leave the Magic and sign with the L.A. Clippers: "Geez, how humiliating would that be for Magic fans? Dwight bolting Orlando for the Clippers would be like your wife leaving you for Arnold Horshack."
Janice Hough of leftcoastsportsbabe.com: "A windstorm in Northern California resulted in more than 20,000 residents still being without power. On a brighter note, they were all named honourary San Francisco Giants."
Hough again: "The Chicago Cubs are apparently in the running for Albert Pujols. Guess new GM Theo Epstein figures now that Pujols has a ring, he might want to spend more time with his family and have Octobers off."
Headline at the onionsportsnetwork.com: "Rex Ryan Clothes Hundreds of Needy Children With Donation of Sweater Vest."
