Sidney Crosby Gets Emotional Speaking With Former Penguins Coach
Sidney Crosby still remembers the great times he had with a former Pittsburgh Penguins' assistant.
PITTSBURGH – It’s not very often that Pittsburgh Penguins' captain Sidney Crosby lets his guard down and allows emotions to slip out. Most of the time, it’s all business, but after a big win over the Philadelphia Flyers, Crosby opened up for a special moment.
Following the massive victory, Crosby joined the TNT crew for a post-game interview. Part of the panel was former Penguins assistant coach Tony Granato, who was behind the bench in Pittsburgh from 2009 to 2015.
Before the turn of the new year, Granato announced that he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma and took a leave of absence from TV. He started treatment in mid-December but was back on camera just a week into the new year.
The second Crosby heard Granato was on the panel, a big smile came across his face. Crosby and Granato reminisced about their time together, including a wild 2012 meeting between the Penguins and Flyers.
During a late-season game between the bitter rivals, Granato and then Flyers head coach Peter Laviolette stood on the boards between the benches barking at each other.
“Just that image in my head, it makes me smile,” Crosby said. “I love Tony. Had a great time with him here. We still keep in touch.”
This is where Crosby’s emotions began to peak as he noted how strong Granato has been these last couple of months.
“Thinking about him all the time,” Crosby said. “I know how strong and how tough he is. That image is always cemented in my head.”
Granato took a moment to thank Crosby before the end of the interview.
“Thanks, Sid,” Granato said. “We’ve been discussing all along how important and how well you represent our game. As always, after a tough game to take a few minutes like this and be smiling. Wear your Penguins hat on forward with pride. Thanks for being Sid.”
Crosby couldn’t help but feel choked up in response. A raspy “Thanks, Tony” came from the Penguins’ captain before the end of the segment.
Since breaking into the league, Crosby has been known as one of the nicest and most generous people. It’s also been rare to see this kind of emotion shown, especially right after a big win like this one.
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