- Sidney Crosby hand-delivered season tickets to Penguins fans on Tuesday, a team tradition that dates to 2007
- Kris Letang, Erik Karlsson, Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell made deliveries of their own around Pittsburgh
- Read below for the school excuse note Crosby signed and what he said about his 22nd season
Sidney Crosby spent Tuesday knocking on doors across southwestern Pennsylvania, hand-delivering season tickets to Penguins fans. Twenty-two seasons in, the captain says the day still hits the same.
“I think it’s a pretty cool event that we’ve been able to do here for a long time and, yeah, it does never get old,” Crosby said.
The tradition started in the lead-up to his third season in 2007. Crosby said the stories are what pull him back every year.
“Hearing their stories, how long they’ve had tickets for or how they got connected to going to games and things like that, it’s fun to hear that,” Crosby said. “You always feel the support, that’s the main thing.”
First stop was the backyard of Neal and Jenny Duryea in Sewickley. He asked their kids how long the family had held tickets, whether they played hockey, and what everyone was going as for Halloween, per NHL.com’s Wes Crosby, who was there for the visit.
Neal’s verdict afterward was short.
“He just seems like a normal guy,” Neal said. “This just confirmed that he is.”
Daughter Lucy then walked over with a permission slip for missing school. Crosby signed it and wished her luck.
Watch what it looks like when 87 turns up at your house:
Other Penguins made rounds of their own. Kris Letang, Erik Karlsson, Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell all delivered tickets Tuesday.
This is Crosby’s 22nd NHL season and the last one on a two-year, $17.4 million contract. He said earlier this month that he’d like to keep playing for a number of years, though he is handling it one season at a time.
Last season the 39-year-old led Pittsburgh with 74 points (29 goals, 45 assists) in 68 games. That stretched his NHL record to 21 straight seasons averaging at least a point per game. He also passes Willie Stargell this year as the longest-tenured pro athlete in Pittsburgh sports history.
Asked how a player knows when the end is coming, Crosby left it open.
“I don’t think you ever know until you get to that point, but I’m guessing it’s your level, it’s how your body feels, it’s a combination of all those things,” Crosby said. “Overall, I feel pretty good. I’m hoping that’s not something I have to think about too much, but that’s just the reality of things.”
Pittsburgh opens training camp Thursday.
