Sidney Crosby reaffirms commitment to Penguins: ‘This is where I want to be’
Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby still sees his future in the Steel City.
Despite the Penguins in the midst of a rebuild that has witnessed the club fall short of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in each of the past three seasons, the longtime captain and future Hall of Famer reaffirmed his commitment to the organization Monday, telling Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, “This is where I want to be. I love it here.”
Crosby’s comments follow last week’s remarks to Daily Faceoff’s Matt Larkin in which he spoke about the difficulty of losing, stating, “That’s the stuff that’s tough. And it makes you appreciate all those years that we were competing and going after that big acquisition every single trade deadline. I don’t think I took it for granted, but I definitely appreciate it that much more now.”
As the 2025-26 campaign approaches, the new season will also mark the first year of a two-year contract extension that Crosby signed last September. Per PuckPedia, the agreement carries an $8.7-million cap hit and a full no-movement clause.
Despite the Penguins’ lagging on-ice success in recent years, Crosby has continued to excel offensively. Last season, the 38-year-old native of Cole Harbour, N.S., reached the 90-plus point plateau for the third season running after he notched 33 goals and 58 assists in 80 games. Last season also saw Crosby surpass 600 career goals while he now stands only 37 points shy of the legendary Mario Lemieux for top spot in franchise scoring.
A three-time Stanley Cup champion, Crosby has skated in 20 seasons with the Penguins since being chosen atop the 2005 NHL Draft. Through 1,352 career contests, he has collected 625 goals and 1,062 assists for 1,687 points, while also adding another 71 goals and 130 assists for 201 points in 180 postseason appearances.
Beyond his Stanley Cup rings, Crosby’s trophy case also counts two Art Ross Trophy wins as the league’s leading point producer, as well as a pair of Hart Trophy wins as the NHL MVP. Crosby has also twice claimed the Maurice ‘Rocket’ Richard Trophy as the NHL’s top goal scorer.