SEWICKLEY TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby, after his annual delivery of season tickets to a lucky fan on Monday, was about to speak with the local media about the growing speculation of a potential trade out of Pittsburgh.
Then, the hockey gods showed up.
Literally.
Crosby, a one-jersey player for decades in Pittsburgh, was about to talk when a white Hummer stopped in front of a house on Thorn St. in suburban Sewickley. Everyone present assumed it was merely a gawker hoping to get a glimpse of Crosby.
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The driver’s window then slid down to reveal Mario Lemieux, a one-jersey athlete of such renown that he even owned the Penguins for 22 years, sporting sunglasses and a smile. Even Crosby seemed surprised to see his friend, former landlord and fellow franchise icon. Both men smiled and chatted for a moment before Lemieux drove off.
Lemieux, who spends most of his time in Pittsburgh, has made some headlines this summer because of a renewed interest in purchasing the Penguins. That speculation has quieted in recent weeks, but talk of Crosby leaving the Penguins has not.
Crosby’s agent Pat Brisson ignited quite a storm in Pittsburgh last week with his eyebrow-raising comments to The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun.
After the somewhat serendipitous moment with Lemieux, Crosby got down to business.
The longtime Penguins star explained the situation in his typical, measured way and said he doesn’t wish to be traded.
“That’s a lot of things to cover in one answer,” he said when asked about his overall satisfaction with the direction of the organization and the rumors that he could be traded.
“There’s a lot of narratives out there, and I don’t think a lot of those have come from me. This is where I want to be. I love it here. I can’t keep having to answer the same questions over and over again. People want to write about that or say that, that’s fine. I can’t really control that. When you lose, and certain things happen, it’s normal for that stuff to come up. But that’s how I feel.”
The narratives, of course, didn’t just come out of nowhere. On this occasion, the trade speculation came from his agent, which certainly seems to change things. Crosby is aware of this. He also said that he wasn’t aware that Brisson was going to make such comments.
In fact, he said he was surprised by the comments.
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“I was,” he said. “And I think Pat knows how much I put into this, how much I love it. How much I want to be in the playoffs. Whether those quotes were taken for what they were, or if there was a different question put into those quotes, I don’t know the backstory. Pat and I didn’t have a conversation prior to him talking. I know that he knows it’s difficult when you lose. There’s probably a part of him that knows having to answer questions like this, time and time again … I was asked the same thing last training camp, the same thing after last season.
“My stance hasn’t changed. But circumstances have, so I get I have to answer those questions. I think he knows it’s tough having to go through that and having to handle losing on top of that. I think the uncertainty and the unknown on top of losing, he probably feels for me a little bit. But I’m not sitting here looking for anyone to feel sorry for me; I’m more than happy to address it.
“I think there’s a ton of narratives out there that didn’t come from me. It’s kind of hard to keep answering questions about all of these hypothetical questions that didn’t come from me. That’s the best way I can answer it.”
Crosby also spoke at length about the affection Pittsburgh has for 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.
“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.”
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Crosby touched on other topics after delivering season tickets to fans:
• He’s not a fan of tanking.
Sid on the idea of tanking this season: (not a fan) pic.twitter.com/eIxQ3T1JY2
— Josh Yohe (@JoshYohe_PGH) September 15, 2025
“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.”
• New head coach Dan Muse’s work ethic has impressed Crosby.
“I’ve had a few conversations with him,” he said. “He seems really passionate. I’ve seen him really early at the rink and really late at the rink. He’s at the rink a lot, spending time in preparation. Starting fresh. It’s probably great for everyone to get training camp, to go through the system and structure. There will be an adjustment for everyone, but he seems like a great guy. He’s really passionate and eager to get going.”
• Evgeni Malkin is entering the final season of his contract, and there’s a belief around the NHL that he will retire after the season. Crosby was asked about Malkin’s contract situation.
“It’s not something that’s really come up,” he said. “I didn’t see him all summer. It’s nice to catch up a little, but we didn’t get into contract talk. His last contract, that was mounting and was decided at the last minute. It wasn’t something we talked about a lot that year. Same with Tanger (Kris Letang).
Especially at this point, there’s so many things that can happen. As a teammate and a friend, you’re there to support him. We’ll kind of let things play out and see what happens.”
• Crosby is delighted to get a chance to play with Marc-André Fleury in one final preseason game on Sept. 27.
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“It’s great,” he said. “I feel like I’ve had three or four lasts with him. Just when I think it’s the last, another thing happens. It’s a good thing. I thought in Minnesota (in March), it was going to be the last time. Then we played in the Worlds together. We lost the Denmark game, and I was sitting there thinking it was the last time.
“And now the preseason game. I’m happy that he’s going to come back. He’s going to have a pretty special welcome. I know what he means to the city, to us, the organization. It’s going to be really cool to be part of it.”
The Penguins will back check that evening, he said with a smile.
“I would think it’s going to be a pretty committed defensive group, making sure we help him out,” Crosby said. “I’m not sure how much he’s skated. If anything, it’s going to be entertaining.”
(Photo: Justin Berl / Getty Images)
