World of choices for Crosby

Tuesday, 27 November 2012 13:21

Written by Dave Molinari

If Sidney Crosby does, in fact, decide to take his game across the Atlantic because of the NHL's ongoing labor dispute, the hardest part might be deciding exactly where to play.

His agent, Pat Brisson, made it clear in an email interview today that Crosby will have no shortage of options.

"We got calls from pretty much every league and/or (country) about Sidney," Brisson said.

He also clarified Crosby's insurance situation, noting that while "teams are willing to cover what there is to be covered," it is not possible to insure Crosby's earnings from all 13 seasons to which he has committed with the Penguins.

"All long-term contracts (above seven years) are almost not insurable at this point," Brisson said. "It's a decision the player has to make. Players can have a TTD (Total Temporarily Disability insurance) for only two years."

While Crosby has not selected a team for which to play or settled on a time when he would leave for Europe, Brisson reaffirmed that something could happen in the fairly near future.

"Sidney is at a point of making a decision," he said. "He has been doing drills for over two years now, more or less.

"Playing hockey is what he does. Unfortunately, the way the (collective bargaining) negotiations are going, it might be the next step."

And make no mistake, Brisson clearly is not happy with how the talks have played out to this point in the lockout.

"It's very frustrating to see how close we are, and yet not having more talks and or negotiations," he said. "We now have a system in place – all we need is to look at the big picture and find solutions.

"It's called logic."