Sidney Crosby expresses a desire to be part of the NHL’s participation in the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Penguins fans remain uncertain about witnessing Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin representing their respective countries at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

This time, the obstacle won’t be the NHL preventing their participation in the Games. The league recently announced, during the All-Star festivities, that players will be permitted to compete in the upcoming Olympics in Italy.

However, the uncertainty lies in the passage of time. By the time players head to Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo for the Games, Crosby will be 38 years old, surpassing the conclusion of his current Penguins contract set to end after the 2024-25 season. Similarly, Malkin will be 39 and in the final year of his current deal.

Expressing his sentiments, Crosby mentioned, “I’d love to go to the 2026 Games. I don’t ever think too far ahead, regardless of how old you are. I think you always go a year at a time and see how it goes and see where your game’s at,” as reported by The Hockey News’ Michael Traikos.

Crosby expressed his enthusiasm, saying, “I’d love to be a part of it. But it’s something you have to earn, though. It’s not something that’s given to you. To represent your country, you have to earn it.”

The 2026 Olympics will mark the return of NHL players to the Games, with Sidney Crosby’s last appearance being when he captained Team Canada to gold in 2014 in Sochi. In that memorable event, both Crosby and former Penguin Chris Kunitz scored during a 3-0 gold medal shutout, watched by over 15 million Canadians.

Reflecting on the experience, Crosby expressed, “It’s an unbelievable experience. To see the best players go head-to-head representing their country, from my experience I don’t know if you get better hockey than that. It’s great to be a part of and great for fans and everyone involved, so it’s a special thing,” as reported by Traikos.

The NHL has also approved player participation in the 2030 Winter Olympics, the host country for which is yet to be determined.

Expressing his thoughts, Crosby stated, “I’m sure that a lot of players are really happy, especially to commit to two years, two different Olympics. I think that’ll be great,” as reported by CityNews.

While Crosby was not part of Friday’s skill competitions, he is slated to participate in the All-Star Game at Scotiabank Arena today at 3 p.m. ET.