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When the Pittsburgh Penguins were eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs this season after a Game 6 overtime loss to the Philadelphia Flyers, there was plenty of speculation that this could be the final game for the team’s longtime core of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang.
Well, while it remains to be seen how the summer plays out, Crosby has made it clear that he has no plans to retire from the NHL.
Crosby is currently in Switzerland to play for Team Canada at the IIHF World Championship and was invited by The Athletic on the prospect of playing for another five years.
Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby waits for a faceoff during the third period of Game 5 of the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Philadelphia Flyers at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on April 27, 2026. (Jeanine Leech/Icon Sportswire)
“Ha,” he said. “That would be nice.”
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While it’s a stretch to spend another five years at the NHL level – even for one of the best to ever do it – when he turns 39 in August, the Penguins captain has definitively put to rest speculation that the upcoming season will be his last.
“Not at all,” Crosby said. “I said year to year, because of where the team is, it makes sense, whether it’s our cap, our ins and outs, just having that flexibility. It’s important.”
Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby celebrates a goal by teammate Connor Dewar during the second period of Game 5 of the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Philadelphia Flyers at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on April 27, 2026. (Jeanine Leech/Icon Sportswire)
The Penguins had a surprisingly strong season in which they finished second in the Metropolitan Division. They also fought hard after going 3-0 against the Flyers and almost forced Game 7.
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And it wasn’t like Crosby was along for the ride either. He had 74 points (29G, 25A) during the regular season and did so in just 68 games played, which is good enough to be Crosby’s 21st season at a point-per-game pace.
Of course, next season Crosby will enter the final year of his current contract, and he reiterated that he will evaluate where the team stands before getting to work on a new deal with general manager Kyle Dubas.
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Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins collides with Travis Konecny of the Philadelphia Flyers during the first period of Game 2 of the first round of the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs in Pittsburgh on April 20, 2026. (Gene J. Puskar/AP)
“Yes, I say year after year, based on the contracts,” he explained. “It seems logical. I mean, it could change. We’ll see. Kyle (Dubas) and I haven’t even talked about it. But I’ll talk about it with Pat (Brisson, his agent) and Kyle later this summer. We’ll talk about it and do what makes sense. If it makes sense to sign for a few years, then we’ll do it.”
So, especially considering where the team was this year, it looks like Flyers fans like me will have to suffer through Crosby making our lives hell for at least a few more years.
