Mike Sullivan, now coach of the Rangers, was there too. Having coached the Penguins the previous 10 seasons, he received a loud ovation from the crowd.
“We just play,” Sullivan said to his former players early in the video.
Alongside Crosby were current Penguins forwards Evgeni Malkin and Bryan Rust, as well as defenseman Kris Letang. Sullivan was there with former general manager Jim Rutherford, now president of hockey operations for the Vancouver Canucks.
Marc-Andre Fleury, Chris Kunitz, Pascal Dupuis, Patric Hornqvist, Carl Hagelin and Nick Bonino were some others present.
Crosby couldn’t name a former teammate he would most like to see.
“Honestly, everyone,” Crosby said. “That’s a great group and we have a lot of fun, no matter how much time passes between seeing each other. I feel like it’s easy. So, it’s fun to see everybody. I know everyone’s excited.”
It was the Penguins’ fourth of fifth championships. They previously won in 1991, 1992 and 2009, and lifted the Stanley Cup for a second straight time in 2017.
Starting 15-10-3, Pittsburgh replaced coach Mike Johnston with Sullivan on Dec. 12, 2015, before rebounding to finish the regular season 48-26-8 with 13 wins in the final 15 games.
“That team that they're celebrating today, you know, one of the things that I always admired about that group was they, for me, represent the gold standard of what a winning team looks like,” Sullivan said before the game Saturday. “The combination of speed, skill, but maybe one of the things that was not recognized was their toughness. And we didn't have a tough guy on that team. But their willingness to play through whatever came their way to win was impressive to watch. And I admire that group.”
The Penguins eliminated the Rangers and the Washington Capitals in the first two rounds of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Rust, then a 23-year-old utility player, scored each of their goals in a 2-1 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final.
Brian Dumoulin, Letang and Hornqvist scored in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final, a 3-1 championship-clinching victory on the road against the San Jose Sharks.
Crosby had 19 points (six goals, 13 assists) in 24 games during the run, winning the Conn Smythe Trophy as MVP of the playoffs for the first of two times.
“We've built so many great memories here,” Sullivan said. “Couldn't be more grateful for the opportunity that I was given here and having the opportunity to stay for as long as I was able to stay with the group, you know, obviously, when you spend that much time with, in particular, the core guys, you build those relationships over the years and those relationships last a lifetime. So, I so enjoyed coaching this team.
“You know, we were able to win a couple of championships together and I think when you win championships, there's something about those teams that galvanizes relationships. I think those relationships last lifetimes.”
