But over the years the rest of the world has been catching up, and when you look at who is winning awards each year you really have to wonder if the kids from Canada are still No. 1.

Don Cherry would beat you down for saying it, but clearly the players from the former Soviet Union are right there in terms of the best players.

But Canada is still regarded as having the best, and will continue to do so simply because Canada is the birthplace of hockey.

Sidney Crosby is the latest in a long line of great Canuck players and he will be the star attraction when Canada takes on the world at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.

Heart and toughness has always been Canadian players’ calling cards, and that is what makes Canada's hockey players the best.

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"It took as awhile to get it," said Penguins captain Sidney Crosby. "But we got it."

Now that hockey has finally wrapped up its season, we can all focus our attention on basketball. Game 5 between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Orlando Magic goes Sunday. With the Lakers ahead by 3-1, we could be celebrating another major victory by the end of the weekend.

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The double milestone (triple if you cant the subsequent 300th point) came in a 4-1 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Also joining Crosby in an impressive performance was Evgeni Malkin who collected four assists (including his 200th point) on the evening.

After using their two studs to center separate lines, the Pens have opted to send out Malkin and Crosby together on line one with Pascal Dupuis rounding out the trio.

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Sidney Crosby will return to the ice this Thursday. (AP Images)

You can't keep "The Kid" down for long.

With his team just two points out of top spot in the Eastern Conference and left with only a handful of games on the regular-season schedule, Sidney Crosby has announced he'll return to the Pittsburgh Penguins starting lineup this Thursday, when the Pens take on the Islanders at home.

All eyes will be on this one as it'll be the first look at Crosby centering a line featuring Marian Hossa, the Slovak sniper that Pittsburgh acquired at the trade deadline from Atlanta. Crosby was originally injured Jan. 18 against Tampa Bay and didn't play until facing that same Lightning team on March 4th. That initial return was short-lived, however: Crosby played three games that week, but hasn't played since lighting the Washington Capitals up for two goals on March 9th.

It's a huge boon for the Penguins, who have ridden the fantastic play of MVP candidate Evgeni Malkin in Crosby's absence. Malkin leads the team with 44 goals and 102 assists this season, and is believed to be in a neck-and-neck race with Alex Ovechkin for the Hart Trophy.

The Penguins are currently at 8/1 to win the 2008 Stanley Cup – could Crosby's return push them over the top?

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The Penguins are back on top in the East thanks to Sid the Kid. (AI Wire file photo)

Sidney Crosby has never scored an easier goal. The Penguins' superstar got credit for the winning goal when the Washington Capitals' Nicklas Backstrom inadvertently shot the puck into his own net on Sunday afternoon, giving Pittsburgh a 4-2 victory at home.

The Penguins were -110 favorites on the puckline (meaning a winning hockey bet of $110 would net $100). The betting total was a push at six goals.

The goal was Crosby's second of the game and stood up as the winner. Petr Sykora and Jordan Staal also scored as Pittsburgh regained first place in both the Atlantic Division and the Eastern Conference when they overtook the idle New Jersey Devils.

In other NHL action on Sunday:

Detroit 4, Nashville 3: Johan Franzen's two power-play goals lifted the Red Wings at home, where they were -220 favorites. Nicklas Lidstrom was a winner in his return to the lineup after an injury.

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Colorado Avalanche's Peter Forsberg checks Vancouver's Daniel Sedin. (AP Images)

It was an exciting night on the ice as two NHL superstars – Peter Forsberg and Sidney Crosby – made their returns to action. Peter Forsberg, who has been out of the game for almost a year, had a strong return and helped Colorado earn their 2-1 win over Vancouver.

Crosby Assists Penguins Win Over Tampa:

Sidney Crosby made his return to Pittsburgh a memorable one, assisting on the game winning point, leading the Penguins to a 2-0 victory over Tampa Bay on Tuesday.

Without Crosby, the Penguins had captured the first spot in the Eastern Conference, due in part to the twenty-one year old Russian Evgeni Malkin. However, now back in the game, Crosby set up Maxime Talbot's goal late in the third period, while goalie Marc-Andre Fleury made 35 saves. Malkin added an empty-netter for Pittsburgh.

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Sidney Crosby returns to NHL action tonight in Tampa. (AP Images)

It'll be a big night on the ice this evening as two NHL superstars – Peter Forsberg and Sidney Crosby – make their returns to action.

In Colorado, Forsberg will play for the first time this season and his first time with the Avalanche since the 2004 playoffs. The Pepsi center will be raucous as "Foppa" returns to the scene of some of his most famous moments, including a Stanley Cup win in 1996.

The Avs are in desperate need of some good news, having learned that leading goal scorer Marek Svatos will miss the remainder of the season with a torn ACL. Further raining on the parade is news that F Ryan Smyth will be sidelined for an indefinite amout of time after suffering a concussion on this hit from Jack Johnson (immortalized in YouTube lore, below):

In Tampa, Crosby is set to return to the Pittsburgh lineup after missing 21 games with an ankle sprain. Oddly enough, it was against the same Tampa squad – on Jan. 18th – that Crosby initially injured the ankle. He was leading the NHL in scoring at the time with 63 points and has since been surpassed by teammate Evgeni Malkin, who is making his own case for MVP honors.

Currently, the Avalance are listed as -150 home favorites on the moneyline, while the Canucks are at +130. In Tampa, the Lightning are +110 home underdogs while the Penguins are listed at -130.

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