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No matter where in the world Sidney Crosby plays, his appearances are a big deal. John Russell / NHLI via Getty Images
STOCKHOLM — Sidney Crosby was one of the last players off the ice on Tuesday following the Pittsburgh Penguins’ 90-minute practice in Stockholm. The Penguins went directly from Stockholm Arlanda Airport to practice at Hovet Arena and, when it was over, many of the Penguins were predictably exhausted.
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Crosby may well have been among those who were, but when you’re him, you don’t really have time to be tired.
Especially in this setting.
Crosby has played all around the globe, and on Friday and Sunday, respectively, he will play in Sweden against the Nashville Predators. No matter where he plays, we were reminded on Tuesday what a big deal his appearances are in different countries.
While Crosby is synonymous with the Penguins and Team Canada, he truly is a worldwide athlete. When he and Team Canada played in the IIHF World Championship in Stockholm six months ago, he received Beatles treatment. Fans followed his every step during that tournament, rabidly applauding when he’d depart the team bus and cheering for him at every turn, except for when he played Sweden.
So, following Tuesday’s practice, Crosby quickly walked into the locker room and asked a team official if he was meeting with reporters there.
Nah.
Given the dozens of people who wished to speak with him, Crosby instead did a U-turn in the locker room and headed for the podium.
In times like this, his teammates are reminded that a legend walks among them, even if he doesn’t showcase himself in that manner.
“I actually think it’s fun to watch,” Bryan Rust said. “It’s kind of funny because, off the ice, I’ve gotten to be really good friends with Sid. But then you see this aspect of it. And it’s in moments like that, well, you remember that he is who he is. He’s done some truly amazing things in this game and you understand it when you see how many people want to be around him.”
It’s not as if the Penguins don’t possess additional big names.
In fact, Erik Karlsson is one of the most famous and successful Swedish players in hockey history. He’s got plenty of star appeal and is having a great start to his season, no less.
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“Oh yeah,” Rust said. “When we were at the airport, everyone knew who Karl was.”
Despite the presence of Karlsson and Predators star Filip Forsberg, there is a real sense that Crosby is who many of the Swedish fans are craving to see. Crosby is gracing many walls on the streets of Stockholm this week.
They seem to like hockey in Sweden. pic.twitter.com/EDuuJplNPG
— Josh Yohe (@JoshYohe_PGH) November 11, 2025
He’s not just a great player, after all. He’s Crosby.
“It’s honestly cool just being with him at the rink every day, but this is really something,” defenseman Ryan Shea said. “I always love seeing it when we’re in Canada. It kind of puts things into perspective. People are always outside of the hotel, waiting for him. He gets flocked wherever he goes in Canada and you’ll probably see the same kind of thing here. Everyone wants to be around him.”
Crosby has played twice before in Sweden: Once when the Penguins started the 2008-09 season against the Ottawa Senators in Stockholm, and then this past May, when the opportunity to play with Marc-André Fleury and for Team Canada was too tantalizing.
He has long spoken highly of Swedish fans and, make no mistake, there is a buzz in this city for NHL hockey this week.
“There is a lot of passion for the game here,” Crosby said. “That’s really fun. And to experience that is a big part of it.”
Experiencing Crosby’s greatness will be a thrill for Swedish fans — and the significant number of Pittsburgh fans traveling over the pond for the games.
At 38, Crosby is among the NHL’s leading goal scorers and point producers for the resurgent Penguins, who are off to their finest start in many seasons and are sitting in third place in the Metropolitan Division. The Penguins captain has produced 11 goals and 20 points through 17 games this season as he attempts to reach a point per game or better in his 21st consecutive season.
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“There is going to be so much excitement here and it’s because of Sid, especially,” Rust said.
True to form, Crosby was one of the first players on the ice for practice and one of the last to leave it. He worked on his shot for an uncustomary amount of time on Tuesday, firing shot after shot at Penguins goaltenders.
Regardless of the soil he is performing on, Crosby always puts in an excessive amount of work. That will be evident to the people of Stockholm — not only do they get to see Crosby play two games, but the Penguins’ practice on Saturday is open to the public.
“To come over here and see the adoration for him, it’s really incredible,” Rust said. “You know they’ll be stopping him for autographs and wanting to get a glimpse of him. He is who he is and we know it. No matter where we are, he’s the person that most people are coming to see. He’s Sidney Crosby.”
• Penguins practice started 90 minutes later than scheduled because the team was late arriving in Stockholm.
• In a rarity for recent seasons, the Penguins finished their practice by working on shootouts. They are 0-3 in games that have gone to shootouts this season, falling to Philadelphia, New Jersey and Columbus, all divisional opponents.
• Look for the top two lines from Sunday’s game against Los Angeles to stay intact when the Penguins play the Predators on Friday. Crosby skated with Rust and Ben Kindel once again on the top line while Evgeni Malkin centered Anthony Mantha and Tommy Novak.
• Goaltender Filip Larsson, a Stockholm native, has joined the Penguins for this trip because teams are allowed to carry emergency third goaltenders given their long distance from North America.
• The Predators, who played the night before against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden, were present in Stockholm on Tuesday but did not practice.
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Josh Yohe is a senior writer for The Athletic covering the Pittsburgh Penguins. Josh joined The Athletic in 2017 after covering the Penguins for a decade, first for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and then for DKPittsburghSports.com. Follow Josh on Twitter @JoshYohe_PGH
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