(Cranberry Township) “Coming close doesn’t get you anywhere,” Penguins captain Sidney Crosby said Wednesday of his club’s finish three points out of a playoff spot last spring.
Starting a 20e NHL training camp, Crosby pointed to a winning streak of eight wins in 12 games, starting in late March, as evidence that the team remains combative, if aging.
A three-time Stanley Cup winner, Crosby signed a two-year contract extension Monday, through the summer of 2027.
The pact will expire about a month before its 40th anniversary.e birthday.
The Penguins are hoping it won’t take GM Kyle Dubas too long to reorganize the team around the core of Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang.
Crosby saw encouraging signs in the final month last season, when newcomers like Michael Bunting brought energy.
“We just ran out of time,” Crosby said. “There was still momentum to build on.”
The Nova Scotian is coming off one of the best seasons in history for a player over 35.
The 37-year-old hockey player led the team by large margins with 42 goals and 94 points.
The last two years have been a series of ups and downs where the Penguins have looked like championship teams one night, only to look very disorganized the next.
Alex Nedeljkovic recalled a team meeting where the group seemed bewildered by the lack of consistency midway through last season.
“It was playoff hockey, winning hockey (on that night), and the next game we were unrecognizable,” the goalie said. “We were losing too many pucks and not paying enough attention to detail.”
Crosby’s decision to accept $8.7 million per season, below his market value, reiterated an undeniable commitment to the club.
“It sends a clear message to us that he’s extremely hungry to win,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said.