Sidney Crosby’s annual season-ticket delivery route through southwestern Pennsylvania opened with a backyard stop in Sewickley, where the Penguins captain turned a family visit into another reminder of why his bond with Pittsburgh has lasted two decades.
SEO Title: Sidney Crosby Delivers Penguins Season Tickets as Training Camp Nears
SEO Description: Penguins captain Sidney Crosby visited the Duryea family during Pittsburgh’s season-ticket delivery tradition while preparing for his 22nd NHL season.
A backyard visit for the Duryea family
Crosby arrived Tuesday at the home of Neal and Jenny Duryea, meeting their children Lucy, Josie and James before handing over the family’s Penguins season tickets. The visit was part of a club tradition that began before Crosby’s third NHL campaign in 2007.
The conversation stayed away from the spotlight. Crosby asked the family how long it had held tickets, whether the children played hockey and what everyone had planned for Halloween.
- The Duryeas became season-ticket holders in either 2010 or 2011.
- The family has watched Crosby win two Stanley Cups alongside longtime Penguins teammates Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang.
- Lucy brought out a school absence form, and Crosby signed it while wishing her luck with the excuse.
- Neal Duryea said the visit reinforced his impression that Crosby remains approachable despite his stature in the game.
Lucy admitted she was overwhelmed by the encounter, saying she felt a burst of excitement and wanted to scream. Her lasting takeaway was simple: “He’s really nice.”
Crosby said hearing how fans became connected to the Penguins is what keeps the event meaningful. “You see the pride people have,” he said. “Their stories about getting to games and having tickets are fun to hear. You always feel the support.”
Teammates spread out across the region
Crosby’s stop was the first of several planned deliveries. Letang and Erik Karlsson joined forwards Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell in visiting ticket holders around the Pittsburgh area.
For Crosby, the annual route remains a chance to meet the people who have backed the franchise through every stage of his career, from his arrival as the first overall selection in the 2005 NHL Draft to three championship runs in 2009, 2016 and 2017.
“It’s a great event that we’ve kept going for a long time,” Crosby said. “It never gets old.”
Another milestone season is ahead
The upcoming campaign will be Crosby’s 22nd in the NHL, moving him past Willie Stargell as the longest-serving professional athlete in Pittsburgh sports history. Stargell spent 21 seasons with the Pirates between 1962 and 1982.
Crosby is entering the final year of the two-year, $17.4 million contract he signed on Sept. 16, 2024. The deal carries an $8.7 million average annual value, and he has not committed beyond this season.
- Crosby produced a Penguins-best 74 points last season.
- He recorded 29 goals and 45 assists in 68 games.
- His production extended his NHL-record run of seasons averaging at least one point per game to 21.
- He said decisions about playing beyond the current contract will depend on his level, his health and how his body responds.
“It’s different for everyone when they get later in their career,” Crosby said. “You don’t really know until you’re there. It comes down to your level, how your body feels and all of that together. Overall, I feel pretty good.”
He added that he hopes retirement is not a question he needs to confront soon, while acknowledging that time eventually reaches every player. “We’ll see,” Crosby said. “I’m happy with how I feel.”
Training camp is the next stop
Crosby and several teammates had taken in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ season opener on Sunday, but the attention now turns back to the rink. Penguins training camp opens Thursday.
The captain said the feeling of a new season has not dulled, even after 21 years of NHL mileage, three Stanley Cups and a place among the sport’s most accomplished players.
“The excitement and anticipation feel pretty much the same as when I started,” Crosby said. “That feeling doesn’t change.”
