Sidney Crosby Opens Up About Missing Playoffs Again: 'Things could have been different'

Another year, another wasted opportunity to play in the postseason. That's pretty much the way Pittsburgh Penguins icon Sidney Crosby summed up the team's third straight year out of the playoffs, during his exit interview on Friday.

I feel like, if I had to summarize it, there were a lot of games walking out of the rink at the end of the night where I felt like we could have won.

He referred to things like costly mistakes, or not finding a way to finish despite numerous shots and chances.

If we found a way to be on the other side of that, things could have been different pretty quickly. You saw the Eastern Conference and the logjam with so many teams trying to get in for those final (playoff) spots. We could have been right there with a few wins.

And yet, here they are, cleaning out their lockers again, while 16 other teams are preparing to start to compete for the Stanley Cup.

"It's tough," said the captain. "It’s not a fun feeling when other guys are playing and you’re going home.”

At 37 now, the question is, is the window closing for Sid the Kid to get another chance to try for his 4th Cup?

"Missing the playoffs the last few years, there are always going to be thoughts and opinions,” he said. “We’ve got to prove it. We’ve got to find a way to get back there. It takes a lot of different things, but I think teams have proven that you can turn it around pretty quickly.”

As for Crosby, he certainly did everything he could to try to make that happen, with 33 goals and 91 points—the third straight year he's posted at least those numbers or better.

Sitting here MESMERIZED by Sidney Crosby's consistency over his 20-year career 🤯🐧

(h/t @JoshYohe_PGH) pic.twitter.com/SlqfBxuUj2
— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) April 18, 2025