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That doesn't make it any easier to hear.

"I understand it. It's not something that you want to discuss," Crosby told a small group of reporters this week at the NHL/NHLPA player media tour at a luxury hotel on the Las Vegas strip. "You'd rather be talking about who we're getting at the (trade) deadline or where we're at (in the division playoff race).

"That's the hard part about losing. I think everybody thinks that the losing is: the buzzer goes, you lose the game, and that sucks. But there's so much more than that. 

"It's the turnover, it's the unknown, the uncertainty, the question marks … that's the stuff that's tough." 

Crosby remains at the top of his game at age 38. The Penguins, meanwhile, look to be a long way from contending. All those years of trying to climb hockey's playoff mountain, including the organization's Cup victories in 2016 and 2017, along with grinding to get back by shipping assets out the door for veteran talent, left the club's cupboard bare.

Fellow franchise icons Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang also remain in Steeltown, but age is starting to show.

That's not the case with Crosby, who finished 10th overall in scoring last season with 91 points (33 goals, 58 assists) across 80 contests and is set to captain Canada at the 2026 Olympics in Italy as the NHL returns to the Games after a 12-year hiatus.

The Penguins, however, have missed the playoffs three straight springs and haven't advanced to the second round since 2018.

"It makes you appreciate all those years that we're competing and going after that big acquisition every single trade deadline," Crosby said. "I don't think I took it for granted, but I definitely appreciate it that much more now … it hasn't changed my approach. I still go out there trying to win every single game and try to be the best that I can be. 

"Youth and having that energy around you isn't a bad thing either. You've got a lot of hungry guys, a lot of competition for spots. I think you just try to find different things that you can feed off of them and still continue to learn through it." 

The rumblings about Crosby's future have grown louder. He signed a contract extension through the 2026-27 season last September, but that hasn't stopped the rumours.

Fans of the Colorado Avalanche dream of seeing him suit up alongside friend and fellow Cole Harbour, N.S., product Nathan MacKinnon.

Crosby, who captured Olympic gold in 2010 and 2014, also grew up a fan of the Montreal Canadiens. He appeared taken aback by the ovation he got at the Bell Centre as Canada's captain at the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament in February.

It got people thinking.

"I get it, trust me," Crosby, who tied Connor McDavid for his country's scoring lead with five points at the showcase event, said of the chatter. "I understand just how passionate they are. Whether it's those experiences or guys that I've played with that have played there and playing there in the playoffs and 4 Nations, all these different things, I mean, I get it.

"I get it as to why that would come up."

But that chatter also hits a nerve.

"It doesn't make any easier when you when you're losing, for sure, to hear those things," Crosby said. "But at the same time, to know that a team like that wants you, it's not the end of the world. 

"It could be worse."

This report by °µÍø½ûÇø was first published Sept. 9, 2025.