On an exceptionally bright and sunny late summer day when Penguins Nation received the very best of news, it seemed wholly appropriate to filch a favorite saying from beloved native son Fred Rogers.
To wit, it’s indeed a beautiful day in the neighborhood. Penguins captain and franchise pillar Sidney Crosby signed a two-year extension that will begin in 2025-26 and carry through the following season.
The average annual value? You guessed it…$8.7 million. Comparatively modest by today’s standards, especially for a player of Sid’s exceptional abilities.
Coming off a phenomenal age-36 campaign that saw him pile up 42 goals and 94 points (not to mention win over 58 percent of his faceoffs), Crosby would appear to have plenty left in the tank. Especially after almost single-handedly dragging us to the cusp of a playoff berth last spring.
Indeed, the smarts, passion, work ethic and sled-dog tenacity–not to mention vision and skill–that have made him such a unique and singular talent are still there in spades. It’s easy to envision Sid putting up numbers through the end of the new contract.
Whether the Pens can reload and return to the playoffs on his watch? A moot point. Of far more importance is the opportunity for Sid to mentor a passel of next-generation hopefuls, including up-and-comers Rutger McGroarty, Tristan Broz and Tanner Howe, to name a few.
You could do a whole lot worse than having arguably the finest all-around hockey player in the history of the game showing your kids the ropes and setting an example.
I’ll close by borrowing yet another phrase from a beloved Pittsburgh icon.
It’s A Great Day For Hockey!
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Hey Rick,
In just another act of selflessness our Penguins Captain once again thought team over self. We all know that Sid took a contract far below what he could have asked for, but a mutual friend of ours Steve just texted a tweet he read that exemplifies just how committed Crosby has been to this team. This is our top Center's 3rd consecutive contract worth $8.7 Mil,
1) 5-years at $8.7 mil or 15.3% of the Cap
2) 12-years at $8.7 mil or 13.5%
3) 2-years at $8.7 mil or 9.9%
Our Captain has always left enough room on the table to allow GMs to put a team around him. It is just a shame that GM after GM failed. As I noted before, this core of Crosby, Malkin, and Letang should have had at least 2 more Finals appearances if not 3 or 4. Unfortunately, through self inflicted wounds, whether poor on-ice personnel decisions or off-ice, the laws of probability suggest that they will end up with only 4.
However, thank you Sidney Crosby!
Sorry, a quick addendum, to put this in perspective (how cheaply Sid signed),
22-year old Lucas Raymond of the Wings also signed yesterday, Raymond's contract $8.075 mil for 8 years. Lucas had 72 Points in 82 GP last season but was a -12. Our captain had 94 points and was a +7 in 82 GP, 22 more points and +19 higher