Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby’s name has been in the news a lot in September. After a report came out saying he could finally be traded and that it was inevitably going to be the Montreal Canadiens, pretty much everyone in the hockey world was paying attention.
That all got put to bed by Crosby when he took part in the annual ticket delivery for season-ticket holders. He was asked about his future with the Penguins, and to no one’s surprise, he shut down the trade talk quick when he explained how much he wants to stay in Pittsburgh.
Sidney Crosby Wants to Stay in Pittsburgh
When Sidney Crosby was asked about his name being out there in trade rumors, he didn’t waste time explaining how he feels about it and where he wants to be.
“I don’t take those rumors lightly. Like I said, this is where I want to be. It’s a special place. It’s hard to put it all in a sound bite, but it means a lot.”
In a September 15 article, Josh Yohe of The Athletic broke down everything Crosby said during his ticket delivery. Most of it came back to how much he loves Pittsburgh and how much the fans have meant to him.
“It means so much,” he said. “I talk about the first day (I arrived), I didn’t know a lot about Pittsburgh prior to being drafted. I show up at the airport and could barely move. The support I’ve felt from day one. … The relationships I’ve formed here. The memories. The teammates. The fans. Go down the list. I’m so grateful and thankful that I’ve had the opportunity to play here as long as I have. Anyone who knows me knows that the city means a lot to me, how special it is.”
Crosby Could Follow In Mario’s Footsteps
Even with all the trade rumors floating around now, and the ones that are going to pop up again during the 2025-26 season, it’s clear Crosby doesn’t want to play for another team besides the Penguins, at least right now. In Yohe’s piece, Crosby also made it clear that he’s not a fan of tanking.
“I would say the expectations from the outside are pretty low,” he said. “But that doesn’t change my approach or our approach in terms of trying to go out there every night and win games. That’s how I look at it. We’ve had years where expectations were through the roof, and you have to manage them. When they are lower than you might expect, you have to find a way to manage that, too.”
Think back to when Crosby first came into the NHL. The Penguins were in a rough spot, and back then it was Mario Lemieux who refused to leave. Lemieux passed the torch to Crosby, while also being his first landlord and mentor. If Pittsburgh does decide to go into a rebuild and somehow lands Gavin McKenna with the first overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, it feels like Crosby would take on the same role for McKenna that Lemieux once did for him twenty years ago.
Sidney Crosby Sends Blunt Message About Trade Rumors Ahead of 2025-26 Season