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Pittsburgh Penguins<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>superstar captain Sidney Crosby<\/a>\u00a0has told just about anybody who will listen in recent years that he never intends to play for another\u00a0<\/span>NHL<\/span><\/a>\u00a0team before he rides off into the sunset of retirement.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n However, the fact that he has only one season remaining on his existing contract heading into Pittsburgh’s campaign opener against the\u00a0<\/span>Philadelphia Flyers<\/a> on Sept. 30 has sparked some chatter regarding his future.\u00a0<\/p>\n Per Josh Yohe<\/a> of The Athletic, Crosby was asked on Tuesday if he could sign an extension before the puck drops on the final day of the month.\u00a0<\/p>\n “I don\u2019t know,” Crosby responded. “I\u2019m going to let [agent Pat Brisson] and [Penguins president of hockey operations\/general manager Kyle Dubas] figure that out. I wouldn\u2019t say there\u2019s a hard timeline. It\u2019s something that I\u2019ll let them discuss. At this point in my career, it\u2019s hard to project how long I\u2019ll play for. We\u2019ll see what happens.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n While Crosby turned 39 years old on Aug. 7, there’s no indication he is about to enter a “Last Dance” season. ESPN stats<\/a> show that he led the Penguins for the 2025-26 campaign with 74 points (29 goals) over 68 games. Meanwhile, an August update<\/a> suggested that his next deal will “likely” be for an additional “one or two” seasons.<\/p>\n “I\u2019m comfortable with them having the conversations,” Crosby said of Brisson and Dubas. “I just want to focus on playing.”\u00a0<\/p>\n The grey in Crosby’s hair is noticeable and serves as a reminder that he is closer to retirement than to his physical prime. While members of the hockey community and Pittsburgh fans have taken to calling him “ageless,” the three-time Stanley Cup champion now finds himself fielding questions about when he may know he wants to call time on his legendary career.\u00a0<\/p>\n “I think it\u2019s a combination of everything,” Crosby said. “You talk to guys who are later in their careers, and I think it\u2019s different for everyone. I don\u2019t think you ever know until you get to that point. I\u2019m guessing it\u2019s your level (of play), how your body feels, a combination of things.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Crosby added that he feels “pretty good” and is currently “happy with how I feel.” Pens fans will hope that continues to be the case through the winter months.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n“Hard to project” how much longer Sidney Crosby will play<\/h2>\n
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When will Sidney Crosby know it’s time to retire?\u00a0<\/h2>\n
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