The cancellation of the NHL season hasn't stopped one hockey star from becoming a millionaire. Sidney Crosby has done it without ever playing a professional game.

At a press conference in Toronto Tuesday morning, Reebok International's Matt O'Toole announced that his his company has struck an endorsement deal with the young hockey star.

"Today, we have the unique pleasure of adding Sidney Crosby to the Reebok team," he said, without disclosing details of the reportedly multimillion-dollar, five-year deal.

Crosby is known by most Canadians as the junior hockey player whose jersey was stolen on the way back from the World Junior Hockey championships in North Dakota two months ago.

Casual hockey fans might better remember him as the youngest player to score a goal for Team Canada at the world junior championship last year, not to mention his contribution to the Canadian gold-medal performance at this year's tournament.

To die-hard hockey fans, however, the 17-year-old Nova Scotia native has long been touted as the best young prospect since Eric Lindros.

He even earned the praise of hockey legend Wayne Gretzky, who called the forward "the best player I've seen since Mario" Lemieux.

It is widely expected he will be the top pick for the next NHL Entry Draft, whenever that might be.

In the meantime, he's picking up kudos as a star on the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League's Océanic de Rimouski.

So far this season, he's scored 58 goals in 57 games, and been named offensive player of the week five times. With 87 assists to his credit, he's also the leading the league in scoring for the second year in a year.

He's even got a claim on the Hockey Hall of Fame, as the puck he shot into Switzerland's net during the 2004 world junior championship is now on display there.

Although Crosby has yet to even join the NHL, Boston-based Reebok had to fight off rivals Nike, Bauer and Mission to sign Crosby.

Reebok has enticed NHL veterans including Chris Pronger and Mike Modano to use its Rbk Hockey gear, along with such young talent as 2004 World Junior Tournament MVP Patrice Bergeron.

That arrangement, Crosby said Tuesday, was crucial to his own decision to sign up with Reebok. Watching his linemate using Reebok's new skates and stick at the recent world championships, Crosby said he became inspired.

"I thought: why can't I do that?" he explained to Tuesday's news conference.

"I saw how happy he was every day, coming off the ice with the stuff and I said: I want that to be me. So it was a pretty easy choice."

The new line of sticks, skates and protective gear is making its debut less than a year after Reebok got into the hockey business with the acquisition of The Hockey Company last June.

Before the takeover, the Montreal-based company controlled such leading hockey brands as CCM, Koho and Jofa.

Crosby is only 17 but is already a big money maker. In addition to the Reebok deal, Frameworth Sports Marketing is licensed to sell official Sidney Crosby memorabilia. And his agent is working on other deals, including a sports energy drink endorsement.

Crosby says he doesn't think the deals will affect him as a player.

"It's not going to change me as a person or a player,'' Crosby said. "Money is not going to change me. I'm going to be the same person no matter what happens.''