WOLVES ALL IN; DEAL FOR CROSBY

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Thunder Bay, Ont.- On the eve of Halloween the Thunder Bay Timberwolves went trick-or-treating early and dealt for arguably the best player in the CCHL, Sidney Crosby from the Long Island Express. The price was steep though, and two-time 50-goal-scorer, Marian Gaborik and '09 first overall pick, John Tavares were sent the other way.
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But when a "once in a generation" player is on the table, you move on it according to Timberwolves management.
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"When we inquired about the availability of Sid, and the door wasn't slammed, we made sure we didn't insult Gayle [Zuk, Express' GM] with a joke of a deal," said Blake Wendt. "We weren't actively shopping Gaborik or Tavares, and were perfectly content with what they provided to us. But you simply cannot ever pass on a player of Sidney Crosby's level when there is the remote chance you can either draft them, trade for them or sign them when they are there for you. I don't have to explain to anyone that knows anything about this game what we're getting here. Sid is a special player that doesn't come around every year, or five years or ten. When someone is spoke of in the same breathe as Gretzky, Lemieux, Howe and Richard... you know what you're getting. We are absolutely ecstatic that Sidney Crosby is a member of the Thunder Bay Timberwolves Hockey Club."
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Crosby was in the lineup for the Timberwolves when they beat the Owls in Portland 6-3 on Halloween night. But the jet lag of traveling all day from Linz, Austria [where the Express had just played the Black Wings] to Portland, Oregon was visible. He played 12 minutes, had no points, took no shots and finished +1 with 2 hits.
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Also, one of the more surprising things was the number worn by Crosby. Not his customary 87, but instead the number 9 that had previously been worn by Matt Duchene. Crosby last wore number 9 when he played for Shattuck St-Mary's prep school in Faribault, Minnesota before tearing up the QMJHL with Rimouski in his 87. The reason for the number change was simple for the Timberwolves. No one on the active roster wears a number higher than 35 as mandated by the hockey club. Duchene changed to number 21. In honour of his childhood hero, Peter Forsberg.
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Timberwolves fans will get their first glimpse of their newest player on Thursday when they welcome Crosby home against the Karlstad Killers [0-4-1].