Amid another lost season for the Pittsburgh Penguins, the fire that drives Sidney Crosby still burns

PITTSBURGH (AP) — It is the penultimate practice in a largely frustrating season, one filled with baffling losses on the ice and crushing ones off it.

And yet there is Sidney Crosby, in the waning days of a season that marks the end of two full decades in the NHL, sprinting up and down the ice at the UMPC Lemieux Sports Complex. The Pittsburgh captain's 37-year-old legs are churning with the same ferocity typically found during the opening week of training camp.

The Penguins are in the midst of transition, and a rocky one at that. The playoffs — once a rite of spring in western Pennsylvania — will go on without one of the league's marquee clubs and one of the game's brightest stars for a third straight year.

Pittsburgh hasn't made it out of the first round since 2018. And while general manager Kyle Dubas has stockpiled an avalanche of draft picks he hopes will help speed up reboot, nothing is guaranteed.

Well, except for maybe one thing: the way Crosby goes about his business. Yes, the losing has been difficult. No, it doesn't give him cover to take a game, a practice or even a drill off. That is simply not Crosby's way.

Crosby finished the season by averaging at least a point a game for the 20th consecutive year, an NHL record.

During Thursday night's finale against Alex Ovechkin and longtime rival Washington, Crosby delivered two more vintage Crosby moments. He delivered a no-look backhand pass to Bryan Rust for a second-period goal, then scored his 33rd of the season a short time later, dropping to one knee to blast a puck by Capitals rookie Clay Stevenson, who was all of 6 years old when Crosby made his NHL debut in the fall of 2005.

It's not a coincidence that this week Crosby's peers voted him the league's most complete player and the smartest, too, a testament to the level of respect he commands even though the halcyon days of “Sid The Kid” are long gone and the flecks of gray poking out from under his helmet are more noticeable than they used to be.

Asked what keeps that drive so fresh even now, when his legacy is secure and he could hardly be blamed for mailing it in for once, and Crosby shrugs.

“We’re pretty fortunate to do what we do here,” he said. “And you know as much as I said that there’s frustrations (and) it’s tough and difficult, in the big scheme of things we’re still pretty fortunate to do what we do. So I think you keep that in the back of your mind.”

While longtime running mate Evgeni Malkin has shown signs of slowing down — the Russian center who has long been the emotional yin to Crosby's cerebral yang will finish with the lowest point total of a season in which he's played at least 50 games — Crosby has not.

There Crosby was on Tuesday morning, one of the first players on the ice. There Crosby was battling with defenseman P.O. Joseph for a puck during a three-on-three drill. There Crosby was dropping down to do pushups with everyone else in a black jersey after “losing” to the gold squad.

The season that coach Mike Sullivan admitted has been difficult for Crosby in particular would be over in less than 72 hours. Watching the guy with the No. 87 in black stickers on top of his white practice helmet skate against teammates who grew up idolizing him, it was hard to tell.

Crosby was living out in real time what Dubas promised back in September, when he cited one of the main reasons he never considered a top-to-bottom strip down of the roster to jumpstart a rebuild he's never officially labeled as a rebuild was to allow the next wave of Penguin stars to watch Crosby go about his business.

“It’s critical,” Sullivan said. “I think he’s the standard for what it means to be a Pittsburgh Penguin. When these guys get an opportunity to be around him, they see how he carries himself every day. There’s no better mentor, there’s no example on how to be pro than to watch him.”

Even as Pittsburgh's slim postseason chances crumbled after the break for the 4 Nations Face-Off — where his smile was easy to see as he helped Team Canada claim the championship — Crosby continued to press on, ending the season with 33 points in Pittsburgh's 25 games to cross the 90-point total for a ninth time.

And while Ovechkin could consider retirement this summer after breaking Wayne Gretzky's mark for career goals — a notion Ovechkin shot down publicly on Thursday morning — a part of Crosby's mind has already turned the page to next year.

The chapter of Crosby's life when he could put the sticks away for a chunk of the summer and still be in the shape he expects of himself by the time training camp opens is gone.

“I really enjoyed that (break),” Crosby said. “I thought it was important to get away. I don’t think I have that luxury anymore at my age ... It’s better to kind of keep going at this point.”

Crosby signed an extension last fall that runs through 2027, when he will turn 40. Dubas has repeatedly stressed he plans to have Pittsburgh return to contention before Crosby ultimately steps away. The only person might know that timing is Crosby, who is almost pathologically incapable of talking about any sort of mile marker in his career — and there have been many at this point — until it happens.

The one thing for certain is that he has no desire to go out meekly. The weight of the team's collective failure this season is mostly centered on shaky defensive play and even shakier goaltending. Yet the next time Crosby will publicly call out a teammate will be the first, and his demeanor in the dressing room hasn't changed.

“For him, it hits harder than most because he’s been here for his whole career, this is all he’s known,” goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic said. “And all he has known really is (winning) and success, from Stanley Cups to gold medals to even at Four Nations, where he played so well.”

The finale against the playoff-bound Capitals was one last opportunity for Crosby to pull on his sweater this season. One final chance for PPG Paints Arena announcer Ryan Mill to draw out every syllable of his name during pre-game introductions. One more chance to feed the internal fire that still burns so brightly even now in the twilight.

When Crosby wakes up Friday morning, it will mark the start of another summer that will seem interminable at times as the sport goes on without him. It's one of the reasons shortchanging the game he's helped redefine, even when there's nothing really at stake, is not an option.

“I think you’re always trying to get better,” he said. “You know, find different areas of your game that you can improve no matter how long you play and ultimately those things hopefully translate to wins. That's the motivation behind it.”

That's standard — the Sid standard — too.

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

Pittsburgh Penguins' Sidney Crosby (87) and Washington Capitals' Alex Ovechkin (8) skate during the first period of an NHL hockey game in Pittsburgh, Thursday, April 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Pittsburgh Penguins' Sidney Crosby (87) get a shot past Washington Capitals goaltender Clay Stevenson, left, for a goal during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Pittsburgh, Thursday, April 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Pittsburgh Penguins' Bryan Rust (17), Sidney Crosby (87), and Evgeni Malkin (71) sit on the bench in front of head coach Mike Sullivan, left rear, and assistant coach Mike Vellucci during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Boston Bruins in Pittsburgh, Sunday, April 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Pittsburgh Penguins' Sidney Crosby (87), and Evgeni Malkin sit on the bench during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Boston Bruins in Pittsburgh, Sunday, April 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (87) battles for the puck with New Jersey Devils defenseman Brian Dumoulin in the third period of an NHL hockey game Friday, April 11, 2025, in Newark, N.J. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (87) scores a goal past New Jersey Devils goaltender Jake Allen in the third period of an NHL hockey game Friday, April 11, 2025, in Newark, N.J. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (87) reacts after scoring a goal past New Jersey Devils goaltender Jake Allen in the third period of an NHL hockey game Friday, April 11, 2025, in Newark, N.J. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump said Iran wants to negotiate with Washington after his threat to strike the Islamic Republic over its bloody crackdown on protesters, a move coming as activists said Monday the death toll in the nationwide demonstrations rose to at least 544.

Iran had no immediate reaction to the news, which came after the foreign minister of Oman — long an interlocutor between Washington and Tehran — traveled to Iran this weekend. It also remains unclear just what Iran could promise, particularly as Trump has set strict demands over its nuclear program and its ballistic missile arsenal, which Tehran insists is crucial for its national defense.

Meanwhile Monday, Iran called for pro-government demonstrators to head to the streets in support of the theocracy, a show of force after days of protests directly challenging the rule of 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iranian state television aired chants from the crowd, who shouted “Death to America!” and “Death to Israel!”

Trump and his national security team have been weighing a range of potential responses against Iran including cyberattacks and direct strikes by the U.S. or Israel, according to two people familiar with internal White House discussions who were not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

“The military is looking at it, and we’re looking at some very strong options,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Sunday night. Asked about Iran’s threats of retaliation, he said: “If they do that, we will hit them at levels that they’ve never been hit before.”

Trump said that his administration was in talks to set up a meeting with Tehran, but cautioned that he may have to act first as reports of the death toll in Iran mount and the government continues to arrest protesters.

“I think they’re tired of being beat up by the United States,” Trump said. “Iran wants to negotiate.”

He added: “The meeting is being set up, but we may have to act because of what’s happening before the meeting. But a meeting is being set up. Iran called, they want to negotiate.”

Iran through country's parliamentary speaker warned Sunday that the U.S. military and Israel would be “legitimate targets” if America uses force to protect demonstrators.

More than 10,600 people also have been detained over the two weeks of protests, said the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which has been accurate in previous unrest in recent years and gave the death toll. It relies on supporters in Iran crosschecking information. It said 496 of the dead were protesters and 48 were with security forces.

With the internet down in Iran and phone lines cut off, gauging the demonstrations from abroad has grown more difficult. The Associated Press has been unable to independently assess the toll. Iran’s government has not offered overall casualty figures.

Those abroad fear the information blackout is emboldening hard-liners within Iran’s security services to launch a bloody crackdown. Protesters flooded the streets in the country’s capital and its second-largest city on Saturday night into Sunday morning. Online videos purported to show more demonstrations Sunday night into Monday, with a Tehran official acknowledging them in state media.

In Tehran, a witness told the AP that the streets of the capital empty at the sunset call to prayers each night. By the Isha, or nighttime prayer, the streets are deserted.

Part of that stems from the fear of getting caught in the crackdown. Police sent the public a text message that warned: “Given the presence of terrorist groups and armed individuals in some gatherings last night and their plans to cause death, and the firm decision to not tolerate any appeasement and to deal decisively with the rioters, families are strongly advised to take care of their youth and teenagers.”

Another text, which claimed to come from the intelligence arm of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, also directly warned people not to take part in demonstrations.

“Dear parents, in view of the enemy’s plan to increase the level of naked violence and the decision to kill people, ... refrain from being on the streets and gathering in places involved in violence, and inform your children about the consequences of cooperating with terrorist mercenaries, which is an example of treason against the country,” the text warned.

The witness spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity due to the ongoing crackdown.

The demonstrations began Dec. 28 over the collapse of the Iranian rial currency, which trades at over 1.4 million to $1, as the country’s economy is squeezed by international sanctions in part levied over its nuclear program. The protests intensified and grew into calls directly challenging Iran’s theocracy.

Nikhinson reported from aboard Air Force One.

In this frame grab from video obtained by the AP outside Iran, a masked demonstrator holds a picture of Iran's Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi during a protest in Tehran, Iran, Friday, January. 9, 2026. (UGC via AP)

In this frame grab from footage circulating on social media from Iran shows protesters taking to the streets despite an intensifying crackdown as the Islamic Republic remains cut off from the rest of the world in Tehran, Iran, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026.(UGC via AP)

In this frame grab from footage circulating on social media from Iran showed protesters once again taking to the streets of Tehran despite an intensifying crackdown as the Islamic Republic remains cut off from the rest of the world in Tehran, Iran, Saturday Jan. 10, 2026. (UGC via AP)