1987-present
Who Is Sidney Crosby?
Canadian ice hockey player Sidney Crosby is a three-time Stanley Cup champion with the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins and Olympic gold medalist. A teenage prodigy known by his nickname "Sid the Kid," Crosby became the first overall selection in the 2005 NHL draft and made his debut with Pittsburgh at age 18. Two years later, he became the youngest team captain in league history. An eight-time all-star selection, Crosby ranks first in franchise history and eighth in NHL history for career points and was selected among the league's 100 greatest players in 2017.
Quick Facts
FULL NAME: Sidney Patrick Crosby
BORN: August 7, 1987
BIRTHPLACE: Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia, Canada
ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Leo
Early Years
Sidney Crosby was born August 7, 1987, in Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia, Canada. The son of a hockey player—his father, Troy, a goaltender, was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in 1984—young Crosby first learned to skate when he was just 3 years old.
By the age of 7 he'd significantly distanced himself talent-wise from other kids his age. The gap only widened with each year. In 1997, at the age of 10, Crosby scored 159 goals in just 55 games for his hometown youth club.
Even against older teens, Crosby excelled, showing a prowess with the puck that earned him attention across Canada. Denied the chance to play for the Halifax Mooseheads, the local junior hockey team, Crosby bolted to Minnesota, enrolling at the Shattuck-St. Mary's prep school. While there, Crosby set several new scoring records, recording 162 points in 2003 and leading his team to the national title.
The following season Crosby returned to Canada and continued his dominance while playing for the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. He tallied an impressive 135 points that year, including 54 goals, and as a result was asked to play for the Canadian Junior Hockey Team, making him the only under-18 player to join the club.
Crosby went on to become the youngest player in history to score a goal in the World Junior Championships. He then returned to Quebec for a second year in the QMJHL, scoring 66 goals and cementing his status as the best young prospect in the world. Across North America Crosby earned comparisons to some of the game's all-time greats, including Wayne Gretzky and Bobby Orr.
NHL Career
At the 2005 National Hockey League draft, dubbed the "Sidney Crosby Sweepstakes," the Pittsburgh Penguins selected Crosby with the first overall pick.
Working closely with retiring Penguins superstar Mario Lemieux, Crosby quickly acclimated to the NHL, taking the ice as the team's best player. By the end of the 2005-06 season, Crosby emerged as one of the league's best young players, finishing with 102 points to his credit.
During this season, Crosby began a friendly, but fierce rivalry with another generational prospect: Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals. Ovechkin, the No. 1 pick in the 2004 draft, made his debut the same year after the prior season was canceled because of a labor dispute. Ovechkin won the Calder Memorial Trophy as the league's top rookie with 106 points, and he and Crosby emerged as the NHL's most marketable young superstars.
Crosby continued to improve his second year. Overall, he tallied 120 points, scoring 28 goals and registering 84 assists—this despite playing the last six weeks with a broken bone in his foot. That year, Crosby became the youngest player in league history to win the Art Ross Trophy as scoring champion. More significantly, he was the second youngest player ever to win the Hart Trophy as the league's most valuable player.
In 2009, Crosby got to hold up hockey's ultimate prize when he led Pittsburgh to its first Stanley Cup title since 1991.
In addition to his success in the NHL, Crosby was also instrumental in leading Team Canada to the gold medal at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada.
Injuries and Stanley Cup Return
Alongside his dominance, though, Crosby's career has been beset by concussions. At the Winter Classic game on New Year's Day 2011 in Pittsburgh, Crosby was leveled by a blindside hit to the head by then-Capitals center David Steckel. The collision forced Crosby to miss the rest of the season and fueled talk that his career might be in jeopardy.
After a tenuous and up-and-down 2011-12 season, in which he played just 22 games, Crosby returned to full strength the following year, registering 56 points in a 36-game season shortened by a lockout.
By 2013-14, Crosby returned to form and began a streak of six consecutive seasons with 84 or more points. This resulted in two more Stanley Cup titles for the Penguins in 2016 and 2017, with teammates including forward Evgeni Malkin and goaltender Matt Murray playing key roles in each run. Crosby won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP both years.
Crosby battled more health woes over the next few seasons, including a sports hernia and wrist injuries requiring surgery.
Net Worth and Contract
Celebrity Net Worth estimates Crosby's total fortune around $75 million.
As of June 2025, Crosby is the second-highest paid player in NHL history with just under $156 million in career earnings—behind only longtime rival Alex Ovechkin ($161.7 million).
According to sports contract database Spotrac, the Penguins star is currently in the first of a two-year contract extension running through the 2026-27 season. The deal carries an average annual salary of $8.7 million. The forward has a full no-movement clause in his contract, meaning Crosby must approve any potential trade to another team. While Crosby has repeatedly expressed his desire to stay, rumors have persisted he may want to pursue the Stanley Cup with another team as Pittsburgh rebuilds its roster with younger players.
“The expectations [for the team] are the other way. They're not high. There's a lot of noise as far as, ‘Does he want to leave? Where can he go?’ Everyone's got the team they want me to go to. It's a lot of that,” Crosby said in September 2025.
“If I'm not all in on trying to be my best or trying to help the team, and my focus and thoughts are elsewhere, then I’m not doing what I need to do. I'd rather just try to be present," he added.
Quotes
- I want to be the best, so whatever comes with that, I'll have to accept.
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