Isn't the idea, in a criterium, to spend as much time as possible sheltered from the wind, saving your legs for the sprint finish?

I'm no Pro (just a lowly Cat4), but my coach (former Cat1/semi-pro) tells me to "stay at the front but not on the front" before every criterium. In fact, after one race where I spent some time pulling the pack, he adamantly told me to "never pull like that again, stay in the pack, out of the wind."

Like I said, I'm not a Pro, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night......

EDIT: Now, I can't comment on the "prima-donna-ness" of crit racers in my area, 'cause all the ones I know have been super nice and more than willing to give advice off the bike. When we're racing, that's another story.....