The Pipe Dream

Listen, I know this isn't going to happen, but can a man not dream?

The idea of Sidney Crosby leaving the Pittsburgh Penguins, the team he has spent his entire twenty-year NHL career with, has been floated out over the past few years due to the team's struggles and Crosby still playing at an elite level.

We have so many times throughout history legends of their respective sports ending their careers elsewhere to go to a more competitive team, but Crosby has stated on multiple occasions that he has no plans to leave the Penguins.

Yet, despite how many times he's said that, the fantasy for me still lives on. I know the long-running rumor has been that if Crosby were to leave Pittsburgh, it would probably be to go play for the Colorado Avalanche alongside his Coal Harbour "brother," Nathan MacKinnon.

Sure, that makes sense; the connection to MacKinnon is real, and where there is smoke, there likely is fire. Additionally, I have no doubt in my mind that Nate has tried to sell Sid on the idea of trying to compete for one last Stanley Cup with a perennial contender in Denver.

But while the Avalanche make the most sense if Crosby wants to win more cups, they aren't exactly offering him anything that he doesn't before. He's won the Cup three times alongside an elite center and defenseman. He's accomplished almost everything he set out to do when he entered the league in 2005.

He's won MVP's, he's won scoring titles, he's gold medals, and championships. That said, there is still one thing he hasn't done, and truly live out his childhood dream.

That’s where Montreal comes in.

I think it's fair to say almost every hockey fan has seen the photos of when Sid was actually "the kid," wearing the jersey of the team that drafted his father, the Montreal Canadiens. The Habs ended up becoming his favorite team and were no doubt a part of the reason Crosby grew up loving the sport.

The Canadiens may not be as close to the Cup say, a team like the Avalanche, but it is not as if he would be joining a bottom-feeder. The Habs ended their three-year playoff drought this season behind their young core of players like Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Juraj Slafkovsky, and Lane Huston, and we even saw Ivan Demidov join the team late in the year for the postseason. The talent is there and Crosby could help take them over the top.

In this unlikely scenario, Crosby just being there would elevate the team, enhance the culture, and instill a sense of optimism that Habs fans haven't experienced in years.

While his actual dream was simply to make the NHL, playing for his favorite team would be a storybook ending for him. Even though the chances are close to zero, the thought of Sidney Crosby wearing that jersey, even for just one season would something fans of the sport would never forget. 

Of course, none of this is likely. He’ll probably retire a Penguin, as he should. But if he wanted it, I am sure both parties would find a way to make it happen.

C'mon Sid, take the jump!