There was a strong feeling out there that captain Sidney Crosby, who turns 37 years old today, would sign a contract extension with the Pittsburgh Penguins as part of his celebrations and maniac superstitions with a nod to his birth year, his jersey number, a constant in his career along with the the annual cap hit on a 12-year deal he signed with Pittsburgh back in 2012.As the day went on and nothing was announced, fans and pundits wondered if the superstitious Crosby would wait until 8h07 ET pm to announce his new deal.
The clock struck 8h07 ET in the evening of 8/7 and nothing came, and even with time difference for Crosby who is in Nova Scotia, the contract could have been announced on his local time, an hour prior. But nothing.
When reports hinted that sources indicated to Penguins insider Mark Madden of 105.9 The X and TribLive that a Crosby contract extension could be announced on Crosby’s birthday, fans didn’t even think about the second part of his analysis in which he stated that if that if it wasn’t the case, then fans should be worried about Sid’s future with the franchise.
The superstar enters the last year of a 12-year deal and fans simply want the confirmation that Crosby will stay put in Pittsburgh and possibly lead the team to another championship before he hangs up the skates.
Crosby has been notoriously superstitious throughout his career when it comes to the number 87, carrying an $8.7MM cap hit since the 2008-09 season and wearing number 87 for his entire career. And it seems like the perfect time to keep up with that by announcing his contract extension on 8/7.
But so far nothing…
Crosby’s agent Pat Brisson did explain ahead of the NHL Draft that he would take the time to speak with his client about the vision for the coming years in Pittsburgh and to see if the captain likes the look of the future with the team that selected first overall in 2005. He could need more time to hold discussions with general manager Kyle Dubas and some of his veteran teammates.
Since entering the league in 2005-06, Crosby has scored 592 goals and 1,596 points in 1,272 games. He is the Penguins all-time leader in games played and trails only Mario Lemieux for the franchise lead in goals, assists, and points. At 1,596 points, Crosby ranks 10th in NHL history and will likely pass Joe Sakic (1,641) for ninth with a full season in 2024-25. He is coming off his best season since 2018-19, scoring 42 goals and 52 assists over 82 games. It marked the second straight season Crosby has tallied 90-plus points while playing a full 82-game season.
And who knows, today may be about celebrating and tomorrow, getting back to business on a way to a new contract in Pittsburgh.
Are you worried about the fact that no extension is in place at this time for Crosby?
