Sidney Crosby unaware of Penguins’ “Number Rule” as teammates discuss MYSTERIOUS Crosby cap number
Pittsburgh Penguins talk about how their team carries on their jersey number keeping in mind their captain’s choice.
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Sidney Crosby [Image Credit: The Athletic]
Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby is well-known in the sports NHL. One could even dare to say he one man carried his team to where it is now. This has even been agreed upon by ‘The Great One’ Wayne Gretzky, who has never shied away from praising ‘Sid the Kid’.
Earlier on October 31, 2022, The Athletic brought about a piece on the rumored Crosby cap. All players in the Penguins have always worn jersey numbers less than the captain. It’s like an unspoken rule that has been followed up by players till now.
Interestingly, no one actually knows where the idea of the Crosby cap even started. According to Rob Rossi of The Athletic, even Crosby has no idea and is not even interested in the said topic. He has never asked any players or new joiners to wear jersey numbers lower than his. It’s just something that’s been carried on by the team themselves.
Pittsburgh Penguins talk about Sidney Crosby’s cap number
Sidney Crosby wears jersey number 87. Currently, there are no active players on the team who wears a number higher than that. In the past, there were a few players who donned the numbers 92, 93, and 95. They are, Rick Tocchet and Tomas Vokoun, Petr Nedved, and Aleksey Morozov.
Drake Caggiula an AHL player under the contract of the Penguins said, “When I got here, they told me no one wears a higher number than Sid”. He was backed by Rickard Rakell who said, “I guess I could have picked another one, but you can’t go higher than Sid’s.”
Various team sources have confirmed that there is no Sidney cap number but it’s something the players maintain out of their respect toward their captain. One of the sources reported, “It’s not a hard rule”. “I think it’s more guys see nobody wears a higher number than Sid’s and assume it’s our rule. It isn’t.”
A player in Pittsburgh can definitely ask for a number higher than Sidney Crosby’s, but it’s just that no one has opted for one. The players said that though there may be someone who in the future asks for a higher jersey number, as of now they can’t envision anyone doing that, not until Crosby retired.
Undoubtedly, Crosby is widely respected as a player, but that hasn’t stopped the team to do what’s correct. There’s been an instance where Evgeni Malkin’s cap hit exceeded Crosby’s and he never had any issues with it. Penguins former GM Ray Shero explained, “We never had a rule that somebody couldn’t make more than Sid”.
The Penguins trio, Crosby, Malkin, and Kris Letang are considered the pillars of the team. Even in the 2022-23 season, these three players have pulled up the team to its current standing. Crosby has never cared about any player getting a higher cap hit if it meant he’ll stay with the team and deliver the best performances.
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Kaushani Chatterjee
(2141 Articles Published)