Penguins' Sidney Crosby: 'This is where I want to be. I love it here'
Jim Wiltman has had season tickets with the Pittsburgh Penguins for roughly four decades.
“It’s easy to support through ups and downs,” said the Sewickley native. “I’ve had six season tickets for a long time. Continue to have them.
“Enjoy every moment of it.”
He had quite a moment Monday when an employee with approximately 20 years of tenure with the organization dropped by to bestow some gifts as part of the Penguins’ traditional delivery for season-ticket holders.
Sidney Crosby showed up at Wiltman’s home, shook hands, posed for photos, told some stories and did what he’s done in near-perfect fashion since he arrived in Pittsburgh in 2005.
Be the face of Pittsburgh’s hockey team.
Don’t expect that to change anytime soon. At least not based on what Crosy said Monday.
A week prior, Crosby and his agent, Pat Brisson, addressed the potential for Crosby to play for another team with better hopes for postseason success in interviews with the Athletic.
That sparked a round of speculation over Crosby’s future with the only NHL club that has ever employed him.
On Monday, Crosby was emphatic about wanting to remain put.
“There’s a lot of narratives out there, and I don’t think a lot of those have come from me,” Crosby said. “This is where I want to be. I love it here. I can’t keep having to answer the same question over again because of these narratives. If people want to write about that or say that, that’s fine. But I can’t really control that. Obviously, when you lose and there’s certain things that happen, I think it’s normal for that stuff to come up. That’s how I feel.”
While Crosby’s comments on the matter to the Athletic were largely tame, Brisson’s suggestions of a potential trade were far more striking.
“Let’s put it this way: It’s always a possibility, you know?” Brisson said. “It’s been three years (the Penguins) haven’t made the playoffs. It all depends on how Sid is going to be and how the team is going to do. I maintain the same position that I do believe that he should be playing playoff hockey every year. In my opinion.”
Crosby, 38, indicated he was surprised by Brisson’s words.
“I was,” Crosby said. “I think Pat knows how much I put into it, how much I love it and how much I want to be in the playoffs. Whether those quotes were taken for what they were or there was a different question that got put into those quotes, I don’t know. I don’t know the backstory. Pat and I didn’t have a conversation prior to him talking when he did or addressing the media. I think he knows that it’s not easy when you lose. And I think that there’s probably a part of him that knows that having to answer questions like this time and time again — I was asked the same thing last training camp, I was asked the same thing after the season, I’m asked it again — my stances hasn’t changed but circumstances have.
“So I get I have to answer those questions. But I think he knows that it’s tough having to go through that and the losing on top of it. So I think the unknown or the uncertainty combined with the losing, I think he probably feels for me a little bit. But I’m not sitting here looking for anyone to feel sorry for me. That’s the circumstances. I’m more than happy to address it, but I think there’s a ton of narratives out there that didn’t come from me. So it’s kind of hard to keep answering questions about all these hypothetical situations that didn’t necessarily come from me. That’s the best way I can answer it, really.”
It’s fair to question how competitive the Penguins will be in 2025-26. Their offseason additions were minimal to a roster that finished well outside of playoff contention.
And given the potential of landing superstar prospect Gavin McKenna, a forward with Penn State, with the top selection in next year’s draft, the benefits of another poor season are obvious to just about everyone.
After all, the Penguins have benefited greatly by that approach through the drafting of icons such as Mario Lemieux — who happened to drive through the neighborhood and exchange pleasantries during Monday’s presentation — and Crosby.
The Penguins’ current captain has his own ruminations on how to approach the upcoming season.
“It’s professional sports,” Crosby said. “You play to win. That’s how I view it. You’re not going to convince me otherwise. If you’re one of those people that believe that, then you’re entitled to believe in that. But that’s not why I signed up to play the game. That’s not the game that I know. If you want to look at it that way, I guess you can. That’s one perspective. But that’s not really one that resonates with me. So it’s kind of hard to understand that.”
What is easy to understand is Crosby’s loyalty.
“I’m so grateful and thankful that I’ve had the opportunity to play here as long as I’ve had,” Crosby said. “Anyone who knows me knows what the city means to me and how special it is. I don’t, I guess, take those rumors or some of those things lightly.
“Like I said, this is where I want to be. It’s a special place.”
Seth Rorabaugh is a TribLive reporter covering the Pittsburgh Penguins. A North Huntingdon native, he joined the Trib in 2019 and has covered the Penguins since 2007. He can be reached at srorabaugh@triblive.com.
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