If the Penguins beat the Red Wings in the Stanley Cup final that begins tomorrow night in Detroit, it is preordained that the first player name engraved on the massive silver trophy this year will look like this:

S. Crosby.

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Some might find that fitting, given center Sidney Crosby's status as the Penguins' -- and arguably the world's -- finest hockey player, but it's his role as captain that would land him first, followed by his teammates in alphabetical order.

For the Penguins, there is no discernible pecking order on the roster, and that's something they feel strongly about.

"I don't think there's egos in the [dressing] room," winger Jarkko Ruutu said yesterday after the team practiced at Mellon Arena. "That's the sign of a great team. When you have egos on a team, it's just going to wear the other guys out and it always creates controversy.

"When you're on a winning team, a consistent team, everybody knows their role. In the end, it's a team effort. It doesn't matter how many stars you've got or how many points you have if you don't win anything."

And the Penguins have stars.

In addition to Crosby, who is tied for the league playoff lead with 21 points, there is center Evgeni Malkin, who finished second in the NHL scoring race during the regular season and has three winning goals among the team's 12 playoff victories.

There is winger Marian Hossa, who was acquired at the February trade deadline to play with Crosby and is two points behind him in the playoffs. He has scored two winners.

There is homegrown winger Ryan Malone, who has 15 points and two winning goals.

There is Jordan Staal, who, at 19, already is a strong two-way center.

There is Sergei Gonchar, who runs the power play and is tied for second among defensemen with 11 playoff points.

"These guys are some of the top three, four players in the world right now," defenseman Rob Scuderi said. "For them to be team guys for all their individual accomplishments, it says a lot about their character.

"When your biggest and best players are so humble about their accomplishments, it's hard to be jealous. All those guys lead by example, and they play their game -- which is an outstanding game -- but, at the same time, they've been nothing but team guys. You can have nothing but respect for those guys."

It works both ways.

"As many superstars as we have, I think there's a real respect for everyone's role on this team, whether you're a checker or a fighter or a goal-scorer," defenseman Hal Gill said.

While hockey players tend to buck the stereotype of the pampered, egomaniacal athlete -- think Barry Bonds when he had his bank of locker stalls, recliner and personal TV in the San Francisco Giants' clubhouse -- the Penguins are a particularly down-to-earth collection of players.

"We have a good group of guys," Gonchar said. "Everybody likes each other. Everybody helps each other. Everybody is playing for each other. That's the reason we're having success. There's no jealousy. Everybody's happy when each person has success. That's why we're playing well system-wise."

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If any of them began to get a bit big in the hockey pants, his teammates would step in to do some self-policing.

"I'm not sure how it is in other sports, but, if a guy starts to show a bit of an ego, usually other guys let him hear about it," Scuderi said. "I guess it's peer pressure. and you conform It's really for the good of the team and for the good of the locker room."

It's a team personality that has translated to forwards backchecking with zeal, selfless passes, playing with pain and a willingness up and down the bench to play physically and block shots.

One player who does all those things is Crosby, who seems to relish being a consummate team guy. That doesn't get overlooked by his teammates.

"He's the face of the NHL, and he's the leader on the ice," Ruutu said. "Whatever he does, the other guys look up to him."

A megastar among superstars and someone who has drawn a lot of attention since well before he was old enough to drive, Crosby, 20, has every reason to have an inflated ego but he does not dwell on his NHL scoring title and MVP award from a year ago and his press clippings."It's a team game," Crosby said. "I think I was lucky enough to learn that very early, since I started playing hockey. As a player, you always want to see your teammates do well. That's the fun part about being on a team and collectively working together toward the same goal and trying to accomplish something.

"I think we all realize that. If you want to be successful, you have to be like that. It's very important that you expect a lot out of yourself and that you're responsible to your teammates and that you're doing the right things for the guy next to you."

Because you never know if that guy's name will end up next to yours on the Stanley Cup.