{"id":238826,"date":"2026-04-16T21:02:59","date_gmt":"2026-04-16T21:02:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/16\/sidney-crosby-weighs-in-on-penguins-flyers-rivalry-ahead-of-playoff-showdown\/"},"modified":"2026-04-16T21:02:59","modified_gmt":"2026-04-16T21:02:59","slug":"sidney-crosby-weighs-in-on-penguins-flyers-rivalry-ahead-of-playoff-showdown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/16\/sidney-crosby-weighs-in-on-penguins-flyers-rivalry-ahead-of-playoff-showdown\/","title":{"rendered":"Sidney Crosby weighs in on Penguins-Flyers rivalry ahead of playoff showdown"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div id=\"article-content\" data-postid=\"5154655\" data-slug-id=\"2768449\">\n<div class=\"vidazoo-player-container\">\n<span class=\"vidazoo-close-btn  hidden \"><br \/>\n<img data-lazy=\"\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/cmc-predictor\/v2\/cross-icon.png?w=40\" width=\"20\" height=\"20\" alt=\"close\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Sidney Crosby has been a key piece of the rivalry between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Philadelphia Flyers. The teams have been archrivals for decades, and the fan bases allegedly despise each other.<\/p>\n<p>Their matchups are referred to as the &#8220;Battle of Pennsylvania,&#8221; as the two cities are only 300 miles apart. They will battle again in this year&#8217;s playoffs. Crosby shared his thoughts on the rivalry and how it began on Thursday.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;Well, I think it was there before I started playing,&#8221; Crosby said on &#8220;The Pat McAfee Show.&#8221; &#8220;So, I think I was told about it, I heard about it, but I hadn&#8217;t really experienced it. And then my first game, I got to figure out pretty quickly what it was all about. <\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><template id=\"also-read-articles-template\"><\/p>\n<p><\/template><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;So, I think there wasn&#8217;t much of a feeling-out process there. I think it was everything I expected and more right from the start. And then you throw in the playoff series, and you throw the history that&#8217;s been there for so long. Yeah, just exactly what I thought and more.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<div class=\"sportskeeda-embed\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/us\/nhl\/twitter-embed\">\n<div class=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/us\/nhl\/twitter-embed\">\n<div class=\"profile-card\">\n<p><span><span>&#8220;I was told about the Penguins and Flyers rivalry.. In my first game I got to figure out what it&#8217;s all about and it&#8217;s everything I expected.. It&#8217;s exactly what I thought and more&#8221; Sidney Crosby #PMSLive<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The last time the two teams met in the postseason was in 2019. Crosby and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/us\/nhl\/evgeni-malkin\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-is-sponsored=\"false\">Evgeni Malkin<\/a> led the Penguins to a 4-2 series victory.<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<h2>Sidney Crosby is excited that the Penguins will compete in the playoffs<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"image\"><noscript><\/noscript><img class=\"lazy-img\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" data-img=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2026\/04\/53e3a-17763641463695-1920.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2026\/04\/53e3a-17763641463695-1920.jpg?w=190 190w, https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2026\/04\/53e3a-17763641463695-1920.jpg?w=720 720w, https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2026\/04\/53e3a-17763641463695-1920.jpg?w=640 640w, https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2026\/04\/53e3a-17763641463695-1920.jpg?w=1045 1045w, https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2026\/04\/53e3a-17763641463695-1920.jpg?w=1200 1200w, https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2026\/04\/53e3a-17763641463695-1920.jpg?w=1460 1460w, https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2026\/04\/53e3a-17763641463695-1920.jpg?w=1600 1600w, https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2026\/04\/53e3a-17763641463695-1920.jpg 1920w\" alt=\"Pittsburgh Penguins v Washington Capitals - Source: Getty\" data-img-low=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2026\/04\/53e3a-17763641463695-1920.jpg?w=640\" bad-src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,&lt;svg%20xmlns=%22http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg%22%20viewBox=%220%200%201920%201280%22&gt;&lt;\/svg&gt;\"\/><figcaption>Pittsburgh Penguins v Washington Capitals &#8211; Source: Getty<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The Penguins have been dominant this season. They ended the regular season second in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/us\/nhl\/news-this-gonna-war-fans-buzzed-penguins-vs-flyers-round-1-stanley-cup-playoffs-matchup\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-is-sponsored=\"false\">Metropolitan Division<\/a> with 98 points from 82 games. Pittsburgh returns to the playoffs for the first time since 2022.<\/p>\n<p>Sidney Crosby expressed his excitement on Thursday and shared what it means to him and the team.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;This is what you play for, the opportunity to compete for the Stanley Cup,&#8221; Crosby said, via DK Pittsburgh Sports. &#8220;And after some years not being able to do it, I think you appreciate it even more. The regular season&#8217;s done, so everyone starts fresh here now and everybody&#8217;s excited for the opportunity.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Crosby has been one the Penguins&#8217; most consistent performers, recording 29 goals and 45 assists for 74 points in 68 games.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-post-rating-widget\">\n<p><template id=\"post-rating-feedback-modal-template\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"post-rating-feedback-feedback-box\">\n<div class=\"post-rating-feedback-content\">\n<div class=\"post-rating-feedback-data\">\n<p>Why did you not like this content?<\/p>\n<p><textarea id=\"dislike-feedback-text\" rows=\"4\" placeholder=\"Please type your feedback...\"\/>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\n<button class=\"close\">Cancel<\/button><br \/>\n<button class=\"submit\">Submit<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/template><\/p>\n<div class=\"post-rating-widget-parent hidden\">\n<div class=\"rating-parent-container\">\n<div class=\"rating-content-holder\">\n<p>Was this article helpful?<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-rating-action-container\">\n<div class=\"like-container\">\n<button class=\"post-rating-like-button post-rating-button\" data-action=\"like\" title=\"like article\"><br \/>\n<img class=\"post-like-image post-rating-image\" data-lazy=\"\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/like-articles\/upvote-icon-grey.svg\" height=\"20\" width=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"like selected\"\/><br \/>\n<\/button>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dislike-container\">\n<button class=\"post-rating-dislike-button post-rating-button\" data-action=\"dislike\" title=\"dislike article\"><br \/>\n<img class=\"post-dis-like-image post-rating-image\" data-lazy=\"\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/like-articles\/upvote-icon-grey.svg\" height=\"20\" width=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"avatar selected\"\/><br \/>\n<\/button>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\nThank You for feedback\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tag-cloud\">\n<div class=\"tags-text\">\n<div class=\"scrollable-content-holder  article-padding\">\n<p class=\"article-p  \">Quick Links<\/p>\n<p><button id=\"pnAdvancerLeft\" class=\"pn-Advancer pn-Advancer_Left \" type=\"button\"><br \/>\n<img style=\"background: none;\" data-lazy=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/skm\/assets\/article\/article-scroll-left.svg\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><br \/>\n<\/button><\/p>\n<nav id=\"pnProductNav\" class=\"pn-ProductNav\">\n<\/nav>\n<p><button id=\"pnAdvancerRight\" class=\"pn-Advancer pn-Advancer_Right \" type=\"button\"><br \/>\n<img style=\"background: none;\" data-lazy=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/skm\/assets\/article\/article-scroll-right.svg\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><br \/>\n<\/button>\n<\/div>\n<p>More from Sportskeeda<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\n<span class=\"publisher-name\">Edited by Victor Ramon Galvez<\/span>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/us\/nhl\/news-sidney-crosby-weighs-penguins-flyers-rivalry-ahead-playoff-showdown\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sidney Crosby has been a key piece of the rivalry between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Philadelphia Flyers. The teams have been archrivals for decades, and the fan bases allegedly despise each other. Their matchups are referred to as the &#8220;Battle of Pennsylvania,&#8221; as the two cities are only 300 miles apart. They will battle [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":238827,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6806],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-238826","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-gossip"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/238826","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=238826"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/238826\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/238827"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=238826"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=238826"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=238826"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}