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Montreal Canadiens coach Michel Therrien on the bench Saturday at PPG Paints Arena. “At 19 years old, he was probably the best player in the league,” Therrien said of Sidney Crosby. “Ten years after, and he’s still the best.
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Michel Therrien has high praise for Crosby

Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press

Michel Therrien has high praise for Crosby

Nearly a decade has passed since Michel Therrien coached Sidney Crosby.

But even though Therrien has changed jobs since he replaced Eddie Olczyk as coach of the Penguins in mid-December, 2005, his perspective on Crosby is pretty much the same.

“At 19 years old, he was probably the best player in the league,” said Therrien, now coaching Montreal. “Ten years after, and he’s still the best. And even better, probably.

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“Maturity, understanding the game. His passion, his work ethic. He became a really good leader.

Penguins forwards Evgeni Malkin and Patric Hornqvist celebrate Saturday after Malkin's winning goal in overtime against the Montreal Canadiens at PPG Paints Arena.
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“Not only for the Penguins, but he won Olympic gold medals. Just a terrific player.”

Crosby and Edmonton’s Connor McDavid were tied for the NHL scoring lead before Saturday’s games, although Crosby had appeared in six fewer contests.

Letang returns

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Defenseman Kris Letang, who sat out the previous seven games because of an unspecified injury, rejoined the Penguins’ lineup when they faced the Canadiens Saturday night at PPG Paints Arena.

Letang, who was averaging a team-high 26 minutes, four seconds of ice time per game, said he expected to assume his usual workload.

“If I’m going out there, it’s to play my role,” he said.

Coach Mike Sullivan, meanwhile, said he would like to see Letang modify his game a bit, to “try to not put himself in as many vulnerable positions” during games.

Bryan Rust and Sidney Crosby celebrate during Wednesday's 3-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes at PPG Paints Arena. (Peter Diana/Post-Gazette)
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“He plays with a lot of courage,” Sullivan said. “He’s willing to take hits to make plays.

“Sometimes, he takes unnecessary hits because he’s hanging on to the puck to try to wait for something to develop that might not be there.”

Bragging rights

U.S.-born players on the Penguins claimed some serious bragging rights Saturday when their team defeated Canada, 3-1, at the world junior championships in Toronto.

Defenseman Ian Cole, a two-time member of Team USA, said after the game-day skate that he was unaware of any wagers between alumni of the U.S. and Canadian squads, but didn’t rule out development of a few.

Canada and the U.S. are popular choices to win the tournament and, while it remains to be seen which country will get the gold, this much is clear: The defending champions won’t repeat.

That’s because Finland, which won the 2016 event, already has been knocked into the relegation round, becoming the first defending titlist to suffer such a fate.

“It is [surprising],” said defenseman Olli Maatta, a veteran of Finnish national squads. “I thought this year’s team was really good, going into the tournament.

“But I’ve been part of it, and it’s not an easy thing to do. The tournament comes up quick and if you can’t develop that chemistry, you see what happens.”

Blue Jackets win again

A Penguins-Canadiens showdown would be a headliner in the NHL on a lot of nights, but much of the league’s attention last evening was focused on Columbus’ game at Minnesota.

That’s because the Blue Jackets had won 14 games in a row, while the Wild had a 12-game winning streak.

It was the first time in NHL history that two clubs on such long runs have met.

The Penguins, of course, were focused on the Canadiens, but were aware the Blue Jackets and Wild were playing.

And that, not so long ago, the odds against Columbus and Minnesota facing each other under such historic circumstances would have been staggering.

“If they planned to do that in advance, there’s no way to pick those two teams and that night,” right winger Patric Hornqvist said. “But they’re playing some good hockey.”

Dave Molinari: Dmolinari@Post-Gazette.com and Twitter @MolinariPG

First Published: December 31, 2016, 6:16 p.m.

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Montreal Canadiens coach Michel Therrien on the bench Saturday at PPG Paints Arena. “At 19 years old, he was probably the best player in the league,” Therrien said of Sidney Crosby. “Ten years after, and he’s still the best."  (Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press)
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