Before being drafted, a teenaged Crosby got his first taste of NHL action in Los Angeles
Sidney Crosby is being generous to give dummy Canadian talking heads some points about the status for his next contract this summer, but we’re throwing it back today to when Crosby really was wearing a different NHL jersey than the Penguin crest he has become so synonymous with over the years.
Back in 2004, a 16-year old Crosby practiced with the Los Angeles Kings in their summer development camp, the same kind of camp that is currently going on now in Pittsburgh and all over the NHL following the recent draft.
This footage is wild to see after all these years.
Seems like simpler times, tough to imagine in this day and age an NHL team would allow literal children with no affiliation to them to get on the ice at their real prospect events, but maybe things were a little better back then in terms of being to get away with a little more out there. Though it would be cool to see 2026 draftable wonderkid Gavin McKenna carving it up out there somewhere, that’s the type of thing that probably isn’t going to fly anymore.
Through the magic of google, we have some old quotes from Crosby talking about his first time on the ice in an NHL venue. And — who knew — it was not in Pittsburgh!
HF: What are your first impressions of the Kings prospects camp and Los Angeles as a city?
SC: This is actually my fourth summer in Los Angeles. It’s a great place, great weather. It’s good just to be here and take the whole camp in and see the players and meet the coaches and see how it’s all run. It’s pretty unbelievable.
HF: Are you here to train with some of the NHL players down in Venice Beach?
SC: I am training with TRW when I am out here. A lot of the pros train with them, it’s a great workout.
HF: Have any of the Kings prospects caught your eye this week?
SC: Noah Clarke, he’s really fast and a good scorer. I think he played two games in the NHL last year. Dustin Brown looked very good too. There is some good talent here.
Clarke, who is almost eight years older than Crosby, only went on to play 21 career NHL games. That Dustin Brown guy ended up alright, though.
As for Sid, following the Kings’ camp he went back to Rimouski for his final season of junior and then eventually pulled on a different team’s jersey for the next portion of his career.
But there is a little trivia note for you to impress your friends about the OTHER NHL team that Crosby has worn their jersey and once “played” with.
