Sidney Crosby's ex-teammate drops harsh reality check on Penguins captain's stardom - "Everyone wants to be all over him"

Sidney Crosby is one of hockey’s biggest stars, and in Pittsburgh, he is a household name. His former Pittsburgh Penguins teammate Jake Guentzel spoke about him on "The Cam & Strick Podcast" on Tuesday. He said Crosby cannot move freely in Pittsburgh without attention.

"I mean he has to," Guentzel said [1:34:50 onwards]. "It’s got to be tough for him. I mean, everyone wants to be all over him, it seems like. He keeps a pretty low-key profile in Pittsburgh and even on the road, too.

Guentzel knows Crosby well from their time in Pittsburgh. He played with Crosby for eight seasons, starting from 2016 till early 2024. He said Crosby is friendly and respectful when people approach him.

"Whenever you come up to him, he’s so friendly," Guentzel added. "He’s such a nice guy; that’s the good thing about him. He’ll do everything for everyone."

Sidney Crosby keeps his private life quiet, as it helps him handle the pressure of stardom. He is one of the most recognized players after 20 seasons in the League and three Stanley Cup wins.

Crosby continues to build his career with the Penguins. He has touched the 90-point mark in each of his last three seasons, despite the Penguins staying out of the playoffs. He has scored over 600 goals and 1,600 points.

Crosby has also led Canada on the international stage. He scored the golden goal at the 2010 Olympics. He won another Olympic gold in 2014. He was the MVP at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey and recently helped Canada win gold in the "4 Nations Faceoff."

Jake Guentzel reveals that Sidney Crosby skates "by himself"

On the same podcast, host Andy Strickland said Sidney Crosby never takes time off. This is evident, as he broke Wayne Gretzky’s record earlier this year by averaging a point per game over 20 seasons.

Responding to this, Guentzel agreed, saying:

“Never” [1:27:31 onwards].

The host added that Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon are always on the ice, working hard, skating. Both the stars are natives of Nova Scotia and are often seen training together.

Guentzel said Sidney Crosby often goes alone with one trainer.

"He (Crosby) just goes there by himself, and he takes like one of the trainers," Guentzel said.

Meanwhile, the 2024 offseason was busy for Guentzel, as Pittsburgh traded him to Carolina in March. Later, Carolina traded his rights to Tampa Bay. Following this, he signed a seven-year, $63 million contract with the Lightning.