PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – Now that Sidney Crosby signed a contract extension that takes Sid the Kid until he’s 40-years-old, it turns to another question. How much longer?
In 2023-24, he once again averaged over a point-per game, that’s 19 consecutive seasons which puts him in a group with one other player, Wayne Gretzky. The Great One played until he was 38-years-old. When Gretzky was 36, he had 97 points. Last year at 36, Crosby had 94.
Mario Lemieux played until he was 40, his final season with Crosby (26 games, 22 points). Obviously, cancer impacted Lemieux multiple times. Crosby played with Mark Recchi, who played until he was 42. Ron Francis played until he was 40. Alexander Ovechkin turns 39 on Tuesday. Jaromir Jagr played 82 games in the NHL at age 44 and professionally into his 50s.
"Yeah, I don't ever think I've really looked too far ahead,” Crosby said Monday after signing his two-year contract extension. “I know we talked about it at the end of last season when I was leaving. Whether it's a good year, bad year, I don't ever try to look too far ahead. I didn't really do that when I was 25, and I'm not going to do it now.”
The trademark jet black hair has some sprinkles of gray now, but it is hard to notice on the ice. Playing in all 82 games, Crosby scored 42 goals (11th in NHL), the most since 2016-17. He averaged over 20 minutes of ice time a game, had one of the best shooting percentages of his career and was a plus seven, plus/minus.
The nearly two-decade Pens captain wrestled with the number of seasons which he said led to the length of time to sign an extension. He said it’s hard to project how you are going to feel a couple of years from now.
“I think it's a little more difficult now just because everyone wants to know how do you feel?” Crosby said while delivering a gift to a season ticket holder in Mars. “What do you think? How long are you going to play for? And it makes it a little bit easier when you don't really have the answer. That's the truth.”
There is the off-the-ice stuff. He chuckled that he tried not to think of being the face for hockey in Pittsburgh. He already puts enough pressure on himself, but he takes that responsibility seriously. He tried to think about this season and what he believes are assurances from the way Pens management has acted in the offseason to show they still want to win now.
All of that Crosby believes fully, it may also be a way for him to delay thinking about a time not playing in the NHL.
“I don't think anybody knows (retirement age) and like I said, looking back at that last contract, I just wasn't thinking that far ahead,” Crosby said. “I probably just thought at that point, it might be something I'd be contemplating. But going through the process, mentally, I feel good. I still love the game and want to compete.”
“I'm not going to project too far ahead. But, I'm going to try to play as long as I can."
For now, that’s for the rest of his 30s. The time will come, but he’s turned his attention to his age 37 season.
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