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Sidney Crosby Opens Up on Emotional Pre-Game Stanley Cup Tribute
See what Sidney Crosby had to say about his emotional pre-game moment on Saturday afternoon.
Saturday afternoon was a special day for Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins. Not only did they beat the rival New York Rangers 6–5 on home ice, but they did so in front of a large portion of the 2016 Stanley Cup championship team, which was honored before the game to mark the 10-year anniversary of the accomplishment.
Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, and Bryan Rust are the only four active players still with the Penguins from that championship squad, and when they stood alongside their former teammates and staff, it was the captain who became emotional — seen tearing up when the camera panned to him during the tribute video.
To no surprise, he was asked about the ceremony and moment during his postgame media availability, where he opened up on all of the emotions of seeing the video and everyone back in town for the celebration.
“Yeah, I mean, just a lot of love for these guys. I think seeing some of these clips, you forget — you know, you’ve played years after that — you forget some of those moments. I think they just bring back a lot of great memories, and it’s just awesome to see. A lot of emotions, but at the same time, just great memories.
I love that group. I loved playing, I love the experiences and the memories I’ve had, so yeah, that’s how it comes out. You don’t see those moments all the time, so when you see them, they tend to hit you a little hard the older you get,”
The 38-year-old is putting together another tremendous season, having produced 58 points (27 goals, 31 assists) through 53 games thus far.
Sidney Crosby Needs to Get Back Into the Playoffs
It’s the reason many around the hockey world have been urging Crosby to leave Pittsburgh in recent years: to see him back in the postseason.
There’s no player in the NHL more synonymous with dominating the Stanley Cup Playoffs over the last 20 years than Crosby, and given that his game hasn’t slipped at all, it would simply feel wrong to see him go out without getting another taste of it.
Pittsburgh’s surprising climb to second place in the Metropolitan Division has made a return more and more possible, and the fact that he could have the opportunity to do it alongside Malkin and Letang — as a Penguin — feels fitting.
There’s still a long way to go for that to happen, but the Penguins haven’t been in this strong a position in February in quite some time. So at the very least, Crosby and company have put themselves in a favorable spot to bring playoff hockey back to the Steel City for the first time since 2021-22.
Next: Could the Penguins Take a Flyer on Patrik Laine for a Playoff Push?
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