Penguins' Sidney Crosby mostly mum on contract, excited for 4 Nations tournament
LAS VEGAS — Sidney Crosby had plenty to say about his future Friday.
Not about his contractual status.
During a video conference session with media to discuss his selection to Canada’s roster for the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament during the 2024-25 season, Crosby only briefly discussed the potential to sign a contract extension with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
“We’re talking,” Crosby said. “I’ll leave it at that. We’ll see what happens.”
He spoke more extensively about what will definitely be happening next season — the 4 Nations Face-off tournament between Crosby’s Canadian team as well as squads from the United States, Finland and Sweden.
The round-robin event will be held during a break in the NHL scheduled Feb. 12-20 in Boston and Montreal.
Six players for each team were announced Friday. Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson was included on Sweden’s roster. Full rosters will be named at a later date.
In May, it was announced Penguins coach Mike Sullivan will serve as head coach for the United States.
The tournament will serve as a precursor of sorts for the Olympics in Italy in 2026.
“With all the teams, I think it will be good preparation as far as looking at groups of players, line combinations, everything, the entirety of the team,” said Crosby, who led Canada to gold in the 2010 and 2014 Olympics. “The fact that they’re (the 4 Nations and Olympic tournaments) close together, I think that helps. With it being fresh in people’s mind when they get to see this event and to follow it up with the Olympics, there’s a lot to be excited about.”
Crosby seems particularly excited about potentially playing with fellow Nova Scotian forwards Brad Marchand of the Boston Bruins and Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche. Both were named to Canada’s squad along with Crosby as well as Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar, Edmonton Oilers forward Connor McDavid and Tampa Bay Lightning forward Brayden Point.
“We’re proud guys,” Crosby said of himself, Marchand and MacKinnon. “We still spend time home in the summers and get back there. There’s a lot to be proud of there. We always grew up with having a lot of pride being from Nova Scotia. So the fact that we have the opportunity to play together representing Canada is pretty special. It doesn’t happen every day. We’re definitely grateful for that.”
Crosby, who turns 37 on Aug. 7, also finds gratitude in realizing the chances to play on such a stage are finite, especially at this juncture in his career.
“You want to take advantage of the opportunity,” Crosby said. “Especially given the fact that we haven’t been able to do this for a long time I think makes you appreciate it a lot more. And obviously, I’m not getting any younger.
“You appreciate these opportunities more and more as you go along.”
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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