TORONTO - Longtime Pittsburgh Penguins teammate Pascal Dupuis bristled at the question. He didn't think Sidney Crosby's slow start was anything to write home about.
"You go through spells like this even if you're an all-star," Dupuis said.
Unless you're Sidney Crosby.
Through 11 games, Crosby has a goal and four assists for five points, by far the worst start of his 11-year pro career and one of his least productive stretches since he entered the NHL. The superstar who has finished in the top six in Hart Trophy voting as league MVP in each of his past five full seasons isn't accustomed to this kind of slump.