Before Sidney Crosby's first home opener in October 2005 at the now-defunct Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh, Mario Lemieux walked through the throng of reporters surrounding Crosby and into the players' lounge, pouring himself a cup of black coffee.
With a grin, he opined that he'd soon be “forgotten,” and then, in uncharacteristic seriousness, Lemieux predicted that Crosby “will own all my records one day,” before nodding and walking away.
Lemieux may have underestimated that. Crosby has a chance to break not only Lemieux's Penguins records, but also the NHL records held by Wayne Gretzky (most seasons with at least a point per game) and Steve Yzerman (most seasons as team captain).
“Did (Lemieux) really say that?” Crosby told Pittsburgh media on Monday afternoon after making his annual season ticket delivery to an unsuspecting family in Mars, Pennsylvania. “Like, Really?
“Oh, there's still a long way to go.”
Not for long: Crosby needs 99 goals, 30 assists and 128 points to dethrone Lemieux from the Penguins' standings in those categories in the regular season. Crosby holds the franchise record for postseason assists (130) and points (201) and needs just six more postseason goals to surpass Lemieux's 76.
Still, Crosby signed a new two-year contract with the Penguins on Monday worth $8.7 million per year, so he'll have at least three more chances to make more of an impact on the cheap.
Going deeper
Crosby's new contract with the Penguins is his best assist yet.
Whether he can lead the Penguins back to prominence or become the only reason to care about them as they go from pride to fledgling franchise could determine whether Crosby stays with the team to the end of his career, like Remix did in Pittsburgh.
Crosby has said he only wants to play for the Penguins and wants to try and win another Stanley Cup.
The Penguins have missed the playoffs the past two times and will once again enter this season with the oldest roster in the NHL. Since Kyle Dubas acquired star defenseman Erik Karlsson in a trade last August, the acquisitions that have most intrigued the Penguins' front office bosses have been a handful of top prospects.
A postseason appearance, once a rite of passage, is all but guaranteed for Crosby's Penguins when his new contract expires. Interestingly, that deal is structured in a way that allows him to leave before his final season if Dubas doesn't immediately return the Penguins to championship contender status.
Crosby's contract is designated as over 35, a notable status in the NHL-players' association collective bargaining agreement. The contract includes two signing-on bonuses, essentially an option for Crosby and his agent, Pat Brisson, to receive the majority of what will actually be due before Crosby plays the final season of his new deal.
Crosby will receive salaries of $780,000 and $1.09 million in the first and second years of his new contract, but in the second year he will be paid an actual salary of $16.31 million before he plays a game.
Who cares how much Penguins owners Fenway Sports Group pays Crosby, as long as they pay him?
Every other GM in the league will be wondering about that.
With 93.7% of Crosby's salary paid through the second year of his new contract, Crosby's salary, in actual dollars, would be cheaper in any trade that could take place during the offseason of 2026. With the majority of Crosby's effective salary paid prior to the second season of his contract, the Penguins have every right to demand a more favorable return in any potential trade, especially when they would likely be assuming a significant portion of Crosby's salary cap hit.
Even if Dubas maximizes his gain by retaining even 50% ($4.35 million) of a trade that would end, albeit temporarily, one of the NHL's great love stories, it would only amount to a loss of one season.
Crosby didn't sign this new contract just to see it through; he has repeatedly stated publicly and privately that he only wants to play for the Penguins.
He also said he wants to win, a point he reiterated Monday, hours after the Penguins announced his new contract.
“I spoke with Kyle several times throughout the negotiation process,” Crosby said. “Based on what we discussed, I felt comfortable that the organization and ownership still had the hunger and determination to win.”
“I think that's really important. I think as a player, all the players that have played here the whole time I've been here, it's something that's built up as a culture and it's ingrained. And it's tough to go a couple of years and not make the playoffs and not make it.”
“I want to find any way I can to get back out there and compete for a Stanley Cup again. So I think it was a relief to hear those words and it helped me. But no, I think it was just a relief to hear those words.”
After next season, Crosby will celebrate his 39th birthday and Dubas will have three years to decide on his future. His franchise icon should be able to look at the team's composition and determine whether it's a Cup contender. Around that time, Crosby's view of Pittsburgh's situation will be heavily influenced not only by his opinion of the composition of the team, but also by whether he continues without Evgeni Malkin (who will likely retire) and Kris Letang, who is probably not under the no-trade rule for the two seasons remaining on his contract.
Crosby reiterated Monday how special it was to play 18 seasons with Malkin and Letang as teammates, even though the Penguins' Big Three likely won't last longer than 20 seasons due to Malkin's contract alone.
If one or two of Crosby's best friends leave the team after next season and the Penguins don't come close to winning their first playoff series since 2018, who would begrudge Crosby wanting to turn what could be his final NHL season into a chance to win a Cup somewhere else?
It's up to Dubas to make Crosby's decision easier until then. By leaving the cap hit intact, Crosby has provided Dubas with valuable millions to upgrade the Penguins next offseason and the season after. If the Penguins are good beyond 2025-26, there's no one better suited to show what could be the next great team how to win than Crosby.
It would be the perfect swan song for Crosby, with the Penguins reaching the playoffs and one final game before the end of his 87th season.
After that, he can take as much time off as he likes, start a family and return to the franchise in whatever capacity he chooses off the ice — not necessarily as an owner like Lemieux, but that's a possibility.
Crosby's heart is with the Penguins, he made that clear on Monday.
“It's probably hard to put it into words,” he said in the backyard of his suburban Pittsburgh home, high-fiving kids wearing various versions of Penguins jerseys with No. 87. “The support from the people, the fans, the organization, everything over the years has been really special and I've had some great experiences and memories.”
“I just want to keep doing it.”
(Illustration by Dan Goldfarb/ AthleticPhotos: Janine Leach, Brandon Slaughter / Icon Sportswire / Getty Images)
