Sidney Crosby is not heading toward the career end he had hoped for.

Vincent Larue
Sidney Crosby is not heading toward the career end he had hoped for.
Credit: Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

It wasn't supposed to end like this.

Not for Sidney Crosby. Not for a player of his caliber. Not for a guy who scored a golden goal in 2010, lifted Stanley Cups, and carried an entire country on his shoulders for years.

And yet.

Canada lost the Olympic final 2-1 in overtime to the Americans. Crosby watched the game from the sidelines, injured. Unable to play. Perhaps experiencing, without officially knowing it, his last Olympic moment. It's not just a defeat. It's an image. A 38-year-old captain with graying hair who understands that the door is closing. Before this game, he had to make an extremely difficult decision.
In an article written by Arpon Basu for The Athletic, Crosby summed up his state of mind with great candor.

“It may have crossed my mind a little bit, but at the end of the day, it was about what was best for our group and what gave us the best chance to win.”

Even at that moment, he isn't thinking about his legacy. He's thinking first and foremost about the team.

That's to his credit. But that's also what makes the ending potentially heartbreaking. Because while the Olympic scene is slowly fading away, the reality in Pittsburgh is no brighter.

The Penguins are no longer a powerhouse. They no longer dominate and are no longer feared. In short, their chances of winning major honors are very slim.

Sidney Crosby is still capable of playing at an elite level and is still among the best. But the context around him is no longer that of a serious contender.

And that's where it gets uncomfortable.

The veteran is not heading toward the career ending he deserves. Not one last Olympic triumph. Not necessarily a long playoff run with Pittsburgh. Not the flamboyant exit reserved for legends.

So, can he really accept that? His loyalty to the Penguins is immense. It's part of his DNA. But at 38, with his window of opportunity rapidly closing, the question of a trade is becoming less taboo than before.

Not because he wants to leave. But because a competitor like him doesn't want to just finish. He wants to win.

And right now, everything indicates that this scenario is not happening in Pittsburgh.


In a nutshell

– Special.

— Listen to this.

— The American players received a call from Donald Trump.

– The Hughes brothers are gaining popularity.

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