European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 11, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 34 stars and stripes wednesday april 11 2007 Crosby redefining Success at an Early age Young Star puts Pittsburgh in nil playoffs faster than Lemieux did by Alan Robinson the associated press Pittsburgh Mario Lemieux didst win a scor ing title until his fourth nil season and despite his enor Mous Talent and Onice pres ence  Lead the Pittsburgh pen Guins into the playoffs until his fifth sea son Sidney Crosby did both in his second season at age 19 the nil Hast seen anything like this since a 19yearold Wayne Gretzky first nil season with the Edmonton oilers in 197980 a teenager being greatly responsible for carrying Bis team into the postseason Crosby did exactly that with his 120point season one that left him six Points ahead of san Joses Joe Thornton and secured his first Art Ross trophy As the nil scoring Leader there Arent Many in the nil predicting it will be his last if s a Nice accomplishment and i didst come into this season expecting it Crosby said after setting up both Pitts Burgh goals in a 21 Vic tory Over the new York rangers on saturday night i tried to have the Best season Possi ble and i was Lucky enough to get it Crosby is the first teenager to win the Ross Gretzky equated Marcel Dionne of the los Angeles Kings with 137 Points in 197980 but Dionne won the Tro Phy because he had More goals still the most impressive statistic of Cros Bys Sophomore season want his Point total which represented an 18point increase from his Rookie year but this one the penguins 472411 record the penguins 105 Points were the second most in fran Chise history and bettered the Point totals of their Stanley cup win Ning teams in 1991 and 1992 the 47point improvement from a season ago when they had a 224614 record was the fourth Best in nil history their 47 victories were two More than they had in their previous two sea sons combined the goal when the season started was just to get into the playoffs and All of a sudden we were fighting for Home ice the whole second half defens Eman Ryan Whitney said so i dont think anyone can say anything less than it was a great sea son now the question going into the pen Guins first playoff series in six years or since Lemieux comeback season in 200001 is How could Good it will be the fifth seeded penguins open the playoffs wednesday night in Ottawa against a team Treyve never met in the postseason you work All season to get to this Point Crosby said now if s time to get going last year i can remember having the season Over and being excited for the playoffs to Start but watch ing them want fun Crosby first playoffs Are Likely to be better than Gretzky his oilers the 16thand Las seeded team in 1980 were eliminated by Philadelphia in three games Lemieux took Pittsburgh into the second round in 198889 when he had his memorable eight Point game against the flyers but the penguins were beaten in game 7 at Home by Philadelphia backup goalie Ken Wreggit eight penguins players have playoff experience but most were in supporting roles with other 40yearold Gary Roberts 39yearold Mark Recchi and 33yearold Sergei Gonchar have played prominent roles in the postseason to Recchi the Only current penguins player who has appeared in a playoff game with them that s hardly a disadvantage i won the Stanley cup in my first playoffs Recchi said referring to the 199091 penguins if s All about How you approach it weve got Guys who have unbelievable attitudes who have been in situations where there been under pressure whether if s in juniors or the world juniors the Penguin Stop three goal scorers Are under 21 Crosby 36 20yearold Evgeni Malkin 33 goals and 18yearold Jordan Staal 29 goals and that s believed to be an nil playoff first but to Roberts who turns 41 next month the penguins Young legs and fresh attitudes Are a Posi Tive going into the playoffs not a negative he thinks they were tested last month when play ing a grueling 17 games in 31 Days the penguins went Best March in franchise history weve got a lot of Guys who dont have playoff experience but that prob ably a Good thing Rob erts said there Loose but this teams a very mature group there committed and disciplined they work daily on the system and on trying to be better that s Nice to see for an old Guy like me at age 19 Sidney Crosby has helped guide Pittsburgh to the playoffs in Only his second sea son in the league Crosby finished the regular season As the nil Points Leader with 120 Gene fair game Chicago awaits decision on bid for 2016 olympics by Deanna Bellandi the associated press Chicago if Chicago lands the 2016 summer olympics it wont be the cites first International party in 1893 and 1933 worlds fairs Drew tens of millions of spectators and thrust the City into the spotlight with grand displays of architecture culture and technology the key Day now is saturday thais when the us olympic committee decides if Chicago or los Angeles will represent the country in the olympic sweep stakes the International olym Pic committee will select the Host in 2009 with other bidders expected to include Madrid Spain Rio de Janeiro Brazil Rome and Tokyo the worlds fairs helped show that Chicago a burgeoning City in the Industrial heartland was As advanced and sophisticated As any other architect Daniel Burnham planned the 1893 worlds Colum Bian exposition and famously re minded chicagoan make no Little plans they have no magic to stir mens blood his words Are now part of the cites olympic slogan Chicago 2016 stir the soul if Chicago does get the games athletes and spectators will walk in the footsteps of fair goers the games would be entered on the downtown lakefront and the South Side at some of the same spots used in the 1893 exposition and the 193334 Century of Progress olympic hockey Fields would be built in Jackson Park where the White City was built for the columbian exposition that fairs carnival like Midway sported the worlds first Ferris wheel and stretched West from Jackson Park to Washington Park where a temporary olympic stadium would be built the Century of Progress held on the lakefront just South of downtown was built on a Peninsula jutting into Lake Michigan and on nearby land where the cites massive convention Center now stands for the olympics a Complex for cycling and Beach volleyball would be built on the same Penin Sula a billion lakefront ath letes Village would be built above existing truck parking lots near the convention Center which also would Host events our forefathers left us this in credible network of open spaces said Thomas Kerwin a managing partner at Skidmore Owings and Merrill the architectural firm serving As master planner for the Chicago 2016 olympic organizing committee the Chicago firm which de signed the Sears Tower has its own link to the fairs two of its founders Louis Skidmore and Nathaniel Owings helped plan the 1933 fair three years before they started their firm not much survives from either fair the museum of science and Industry is the Only remaining building on the grounds of the columbian exposition organizers insist that  be the Case with the olympics the athletes Village could be sold afterwards As condominiums hotels and retail space the temporary olympic stadium in Washington Park would be scaled Back into a smaller Amphitheater for sports events