Sidney Crosby and Penguins are "on a mission" to add another championship (2024)

A couple of days before training camp was set to begin, the unfailingly friendly and polite Sidney Crosby was asked about the defending Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals.

The expression on his face never wavered. He made a politically correct comment, explained he wasn’t able to watch the Stanley Cup Final because he was vacationing in Europe, and quickly changed the subject.

He never smiled and looked fairly tense. There was almost a hint of anger. The Stanley Cup has been his three times and there is a very real sense around these Penguins that their captain is especially hungry to reclaim it.

The Penguins open their regular season on Thursday against those very Washington Capitals at PPG Paints Arena. His teammates expect a motivated Crosby to lead the way.

“Sid never changes,” Carl Hagelin said. “That hard work, that desire to win is there right now more than ever. You can see it. He’s on a mission. This whole team is on a mission.”

Crosby doesn’t feel particularly comfortable speaking of his career in a historical context. He’s still in the moment, still orchestrating his legacy, so reflecting upon his accomplishments isn’t appealing.

His teammates, though, are plenty aware of the Cups, the gold medals, the accolades. He is a living legend but any idea that he’s satisfied with three Stanley Cups on his resume would be positively incorrect.

Crosby’s considerable talent has always been secondary compared to his work ethic. If Wayne Gretzky is remembered for his eye-popping numbers, Mario Lemieux for his transcendent talent and Bobby Orr for changing the game, Crosby will largely be remembered as being the hardest working superstar in history. Some things, even as Crosby has hit age 31, have apparently never changed.

“He wants to win another one so bad,” Riley Sheahan said. “I haven’t been around him that long, but it’s incredible. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Crosby, notorious for being one of the final players to depart the ice following practices, has been staying on later than usual this fall. The extra long summer seems to have motivated and reinvigorated him, if such a thing were possible after producing 21 points in 12 postseason games last spring.

Matt Murray sees it every day.

“Just watch him in practice,” Murray said. “He’s working so hard, probably harder than I’ve ever seen him work. The guy just never stops. Every battle in practice, he takes seriously. That absolutely makes everyone work that much harder to be better.”

Crosby will begin the season on a line with Jake Guentzel and Patric Hornqvist. The trio clicked in the playoffs and should be poised for a big season.

Guentzel appreciates starting his career during the Crosby era in Pittsburgh.

“I’m lucky to be on this team and lucky to be playing with him,” Guentzel said. “He pushes me every day.”

Crosby’s Penguins have won the Stanley Cup twice in the past three seasons and three times in the past decade. They’re already a historical team because of the rare back-to-back accomplishment, but more history can be made. One more championship puts Crosby and this group in truly rare air.

“We all have an understanding of where we sit and the opportunity that lies in front of us,” Matt Cullen said.

Hagelin explained that the Penguins, including Crosby, don’t often speak of such things. Rather, there is a quiet drive in place with the understanding that something unique is happening.

“We know we have a good team,” Hagelin said. “We can do something special here, and we know it. But when you’re in it, you’re not thinking about making history. You play to win games. From Sid on down. We want to win it all. Nothing else is acceptable.”

One gets the sense nothing less is acceptable for Crosby, either.

If anything, his intensity to win appears to be burning stronger than ever.

“I think that’s important,” Hagelin said. “Even if we’re playing well and winning games, he can still get mad sometimes. And you know what? That’s good. He expects a lot from himself and a lot from his teammates. I like that. As a teammate, he rubs off on all of us. You want to be like him. He makes you want to be at your best.”

As fate would have it, the Penguins will open their season against their bitter rivals, the Capitals team that finally overcame their longtime nemesis.

Expect Crosby to be ready.

“You can learn a lot from just being around him and the other great players we have here,” Murray said. “He’ll be ready. He always is.”

Even those who haven’t won a championship with Crosby appreciate the fire he has to win another.

“This team has been so successful for so long,” Sheahan said. “He’s our vocal leader. He’s our leader by example. I really think the biggest reason this team has been so successful for so long is because of the person he is and because of the drive he has to win.”

Ten predictions

1.) Murray will have his best season. He’s an exceedingly prideful person and don’t think there isn’t a chip on his shoulder. Murray didn’t have a particularly good 2017-18 season, as everyone knows by now. That said, he’s already won the Cup. Twice. He’s 24. And yet, there is a perception around the NHL that many goaltenders could have won those championships, that Murray isn’t necessarily elite, but just very good. He seems intensely interested in proving a lot of people wrong this season. Murray has looked quite sharp during the preseason and is exuding a confidence that is reminiscent of his rookie persona. Expect big things from him this season.

2.) Juuso Riikola will play at least 40 games at the NHL level this season. Injuries happen, and this will help Riikola into the lineup. But there is more. This guy might be really, really good. I base this not only on what my eyes have told me but also based on conversations with many of the Penguins. As one veteran told me following Wednesday’s practice, “Holy sh*t, this guy is good.”

3.) Bryan Rust will score 20 goals this season. He’s never done this before, and he doesn’t see much power play time, so this might seem daunting. But he’s developed serious chemistry with Derick Brassard, and I believe he’ll have the best season of his career. He gets a little better every season. Some players suffer a letdown after getting paid. Rust doesn’t strike me as that kind of person. He’ll want to prove his worth and I believe he will.

4.) The power play won’t be as good this season. Oh, it will be good. But it was one of the great units in recent NHL history last season. It’s difficult to imagine the Penguins can replicate that kind of success once again. Possible, but highly unlikely. Granted, this unit will remain a strength, but a small step back is pretty reasonable to expect.

5.) Jim Rutherford won’t trade a first-round pick this season. I know, I know. He always trades first-round picks. And I’m not being critical. The Penguins are in win-now mode, as they should be. But after watching their prospects in the Prospect Challenge in Buffalo last month, well … I think they should consider actually keeping a first-round pick or two moving forward. This will be the year it happens.

6.) Casey DeSmith will be with the Penguins all season. Quite simply, he’s better than Tristan Jarry right now. This isn’t a knock on Jarry, who has a more impressive pedigree and certainly will be an NHL goalie into the future. But let’s not act like Jarry is the next Martin Brodeur. DeSmith, meanwhile, was very good last season and was sharp as a tack during training camp. I believe he will have a very good season.

7.) Daniel Sprong won’t make a meaningful impact this season. I could be wrong, and it’s not like he doesn’t have talent. Currently, though, he doesn’t fit on the top-nine and I’m not sure when that’s going to change. Perhaps he’ll be effective on the fourth line, but that’s no sure thing. I suspect the Penguins aren’t quite sure what to do with Sprong. His defensive work has actually improved. He just isn’t scoring any goals right now and that’s what he’s paid to do.

8.) Phil Kessel and Mike Sullivan will get along just fine this season. Kessel is always going to be a pain in the ass to coach. He has been for 31 years, so I doubt anything will change at this point. But he’s a great player and Sullivan is a great coach. They’ll make it work.

9.) Brian Dumoulin will have his best season yet. He was a force in the postseason last spring and you’ll only see him progress. He’s not the Penguins’ most talented defenseman, but he’s their best one.

10.) There will be another parade on the Boulevard of the Allies this spring. Just a hunch. The Penguins are better and deeper (Cullen, Riikola, Johnson) than last season. They’re so hungry. You can sense it. I believe this group has one more championship in it. The Eastern Conference is a bear, without question. On paper, though, I still don’t see a team better than these Penguins.

Goal Projections

This is impossible and absolutely asking for trouble. But ’tis the season for predictions.

Sidney Crosby — 40 — He didn’t have his customary goal-scoring touch last season. I suspect it will return.

Evgeni Malkin — 33 — He could score more, of course. But he does get banged up from time to time, so we’ll go conservative here.

Phil Kessel — 30 — It won’t be easy for him to match last year’s point totals. Still, he’ll have a big season.

Jake Guentzel — 26 — If he played on the top power play, he’d go over 30. He may anyway, but this is the guess.

Patric Hornqvist — 22 — He’ll have a good season because he always does. But last year’s numbers will be difficult to match. His real value comes in the playoffs anyway.

Derick Brassard — 21 — Look for him to have a good season. He appears to be much more comfortable this season.

Bryan Rust –– 20 — I’m expecting a big season from him. He had a great camp.

Carl Hagelin — 15 — He’s never scored more than 17 goals. If he’s on the second line all season, he’ll come close to matching that total.

Kris Letang — 10 — He’s going to play more on the top power play than I thought. This should help him into double digits.

Matt Cullen — 10 — He’s had a great camp and will score big goals. He always does.

Riley Sheahan — 9 — Tough to score a ton when you’re on the fourth line, but he’ll chip in a few. What a solid player.

Dominik Simon — 8 — He needs to prove he can finish, but he’ll get a chance. The coaching staff loves him.

Derek Grant — 7 — He won’t add a ton offense but there is something to be said for good depth.

Justin Schultz — 7 — He’s dependable and capable of scoring even more.

Daniel Sprong — 7 — I have no clue. He could see top-six time and score more than 20. The talent is there. But I’m guessing that doesn’t happen.

Jack Johnson — 5 — He’s got a good shot and will score a few.

Olli Maatta –– 5 — I feel like I’m low-balling Olli a little bit. He’ll score 10 one of these years.

Juuso Riikola — 5 — He can play. I’d expect a few goals from him.

Jamie Oleksiak — 5 — Booming shot and likes to carry the puck.

Brian Dumoulin — 4 — Doesn’t have a great shot, but he’s just so good, he’ll score a few.

Practice tidbits

• Dumoulin skated in a no-contact jersey and is very much a question mark for the season opener against the Capitals. That said, he hasn’t been ruled out of the contest. He legitimately sounds 50/50 to play against the Capitals.

• Sprong, who has been dealing with an injury, practiced and will play against Washington.

• The Penguins won’t be seeing Tom Wilson until Dec. 19 because of his 20-game suspension. Many of them were quite curious about the NHL’s ruling on Wednesday morning.

• Letang saw more time than Schultz with the top power-play unit. An interesting development.

• The Penguins practiced for nearly an hour at PPG Paints Arena on Wednesday following Tuesday’s day off.

(Top photo: Patrick Smith/Getty Images)