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Sidney Crosby’s Press Box Look Speaks Volumes Amid Jack Hughes Penguins Ovation

Team Canada legend Sidney Crosby looked on as the Pittsburgh Penguins fans showed love to Team USA star Jack Hughes.
Grant Young|
Sidney Crosby
Sidney Crosby | IMAGO / ABACAPRESS

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Pittsburgh PenguinsNew Jersey Devils

The hockey world has moved on from what took place when the Team USA and the Team Canada men's squads faced each other in the gold medal match of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games.

Yet, the sports world still hasn't fully moved on. At least, fans aren't ready to forget the golden goal that New Jersey Devils star forward Jack Hughes scored to bring Team USA men's hockey its first Olympic gold medal since 1980.

Jack Hughes of United States of America celebrates
Jack Hughes of United States of America celebrates | IMAGO / Beautiful Sports

Hughes has blossomed into an American hero and is perhaps the biggest and most popular athlete in the world right now (although USA figure skater Alysa Liu might have something to say about that).

However, Hughes' USA success surely brings mixed feelings for many NHL fans. While USA hockey fans surely adore Hughes for what he accomplished on the ice in Italy, the NHL season is now back underway, which means that these fans have to acclimate to cheering against Hughes once again.

Jack Hughes celebrates.
Jack Hughes celebrates. | IMAGO / Bildbyran

That being said, the Pittsburgh Penguins fans weren't fully ready to turn Hughes back into an enemy when the Devils came to Pittsburgh for their February 26 showdown.

This was made clear by the standing ovation that the Penguins' home crowd gave to Hughes before the game began, which has now gone viral on social media.

Sidney Crosby’s Presence Speaks Volumes as Penguins Fans Honor Jack Hughes

It will be fascinating to see how long this reception lasts for Hughes. It was especially interesting to see the Penguins crowd do this for Hughes, given that their beloved Sidney Crosby (who has spent his entire legendary NFL career playing in Pittsburgh) was Team Canada's captain throughout the Olympics, and is surely still heartbroken about what happened last weekend.

Well, Crosby was Canada's captain for all but their final two games, as he couldn't compete in the semifinal and the final because of an injury he suffered in the quarterfinal.

Sidney Crosby (87) of Canada
Sidney Crosby (87) of Canada | IMAGO / ABACAPRESS

Crosby is still injured and wasn't able to suit up when the Penguins played Hughes' Devils on February 26.

And several photos have surfaced of Crosby looking on from a press box during the contest. To be clear, no cameras were on Crosby while Hughes was being honored by Penguins fans, but it would have been fascinating to see how he was reacting.

Given how great a person Crosby is, he surely would have understood the Pittsburgh fan base honoring Hughes in this way. But that doesn't mean he would have liked it.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers the Athlete Lifestyle, Women’s Basketball, the New York Mets, the Baltimore Orioles, the Chicago Cubs, and boxing for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years.

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