[Textcritic]

This is pretty incredible, and ridiculous all at the same time.

Has there ever been such a highly anticipated NHL player debut in the Flames' history? When was the last time ANY prospect has generated this kind of excitement before he has even played a professional hockey game? What makes this really astonishing is that this storm of scrutiny and anxiety surrounds—not a blue-chip first rounder, or some enigma being smuggled out of Eastern Europe. Rather, the hype envelopes a pint-sized, unassuming former fourth round draft pick.

Think about that for a minute.

In my mind, the pre-professional anticipation is comparable to the summer of 2005 leading up to Sidney Crosby's NHL debut. I think the reason for that is the unknown variables all at play here. Crosby emerged from the CHL as the most dominant player in decades, but was entering a new era NHL in which no one really knew how well his game would really translate. There were questions about his size and strength, especially emerging from the clutch-and-hold era that largely ended in 2004. I think we all knew he would be a good player, but when there is a player who is THAT FAR AHEAD of his playing peers it is difficult to project how good he can really be. Did anyone really expect Crosby to be a 100 point player in his rookie year? Did anyone expect him to flirt with the 1.5 pts/game mark at the highest level of hockey?

I'm not trying to compare Gaudreau's potential to Crosby, only the situation. However, his situation is really similar. He is not just the best player in college hockey. He is arguably the best player to play in the NCAA for the last several decades. Maybe ever?

All this from a fourth round pick. It's amazing, and very, very cool.