Crosby hopes end of Penguins' season isn't end with Malkin - ESPN

PHILADELPHIA — Sidney Crosby was the last player lingering in the Pittsburgh Penguins' locker room after they were eliminated by the Philadelphia Flyers in overtime of Game 6 on Wednesday night, slowly changing out of his gear before facing another offseason of uncertainty. Was this the last game that the Penguins' superstar core of Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang will play together?

«It might be a little early for that. We'll have a few days to digest everything and evaluate stuff,» Crosby said after the Flyers' 1-0 win gave Philadelphia a 4-2 series victory in the Battle of Pennsylvania.

They have been teammates since 2006, when Crosby was in his second season. The Penguins won the Stanley Cup three times during their era. They are the longest-tenured trio of teammates in North American sports history, having surpassed the record held by Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera and Jorge Posada of the New York Yankees (17 seasons) three years ago.

Crosby led the Penguins with five points in six games against the Flyers. Malkin had two goals and an assist. Letang had two goals, both of them game winners.

Crosby, 38, is signed through next season. Letang, 39, is signed through 2028. But Malkin, 39, will be an unrestricted free agent this summer. Malkin has expressed a desire to stay with the Penguins next season and said last month that he and general manager Kyle Dubas would talk about his future after the playoffs.

Letang and Malkin were both unavailable to the media after Game 6. Crosby, standing near Malkin's empty stall, said it was «probably hard to put into words» what they've meant to him as teammates.

«Honestly, it's something that we've probably just gotten used to, but I think they're like family. I think that's the