Crosby not involved in coaching search: 'I am not a manager'
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Sidney Crosby has nothing to do with the Pittsburgh Penguins' coaching search.
That's what the Canadian captain told The Athletic's Josh Yohe after Canada's win over France on Tuesday at the IIHF World Championship.
“I don’t have any say on who our next coach is going to be,” Crosby told Yohe. “And I prefer it that way.”
Pressed as to why, Crosby says it's not part of his job description.
“Because, ultimately, I’m a hockey player,” Crosby continued. “I’m not out there coaching games. I am not a manager.”
The 37-year-old Cole Harbour, NS native conceded he would offer input should he be asked by general manager Kyle Dubas.
“If he wants my opinion on someone who’s out there, and someone who is out there that I might have had as coach before or someone I’ve heard about, then sure, then I’ll share my opinion,” Crosby said.
The Pens find themselves looking for a new head coach following the departure of Mike Sullivan after a decade and two Stanley Cups last month. Sullivan subsequently became the new head coach of the Pneguins' Metropolitan Division rivals, the New York Rangers.
“He did an unbelievable job with us,” Crosby said of Sullivan. “If you really think about it, 10 years is an incredibly long time to coach a team in the NHL. We’re fortunate that we made so many great memories with him as our coach.”
Still, Crosby says Sullivan's exit didn't come as a shock.
“I wouldn’t say I’m surprised by anything that happened, to be honest,” Crosby said. “I understand it. I’ve played long enough now to know that there’s always going to be … some kind of change, when you don’t get the results that you want. And we haven’t gotten the results that we’ve wanted for a while now. That’s part of losing. That’s the part of things that makes losing so difficult.”
The first overall pick of the 2005 NHL Entry Draft, Crosby just completed his 20th NHL season. The three-time Stanley Cup winner scored 33 goals and added 58 assists in 80 games in 2024-2025.
Through three games at the worlds, Crosby has a goal and three assists.
Canada, 3-0, returns to action on Thursday with a game against Austria.