Sidney Crosby singles out $92M Penguins star for having weirdest pregame routine

By Zachary Roberts

Modified Nov 14, 2024 17:43 GMT

NHL players such as Sidney Crosby often have pregame routines. This can include a wide range of things, including but certainly not limited to the meals players eat before games. It may be a superstitious thing, but it may also be nutrition-based or just personal preference.

Crosby was asked which of his teammates has the strangest pregame routine right now. He responded that it had to be, if not him, Erik Karlsson:

"I would say me, but if it wasn’t me, I’d go with probably Karl, his pregame meal."

Crosby said that Karlsson, who is in the midst of an eight-year, $92 million contract, puts ketchup on pasta:

"That’s just... that’s just a small part of it. Yeah. I think he’s got onions and ranch and tomato on there, too."

Crosby was quick to admit his routine was weird as well, but even he draws the line at what Karlsson likes to eat before the Pittsburgh Penguins play hockey.

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Sidney Crosby reflects on loss to Dallas Stars

The Pittsburgh Penguins fell to the Dallas Stars on Monday by an alarming final score of 7-1. The loss and the overall record (6-9-2) of the team have prompted rumors that virtually everyone aside from Sidney Crosby could be traded this year.

Sidney Crosby reflected on the loss (Imagn)

Crosby said after the game, via Bolavip:

“I don’t think this game reflects how we’ve played lately. It’s frustrating; when you look at wins and losses, we’re not where we want to be. But I think leading up to this, we were doing a lot of good things.”

As for the individual outing, Crosby said they fell behind in the game and "started chasing." Doing that against a "dangerous team" like the Stars can "get ugly," which is what happened. Crosby was on the ice for almost 18 minutes.

Crosby said that he and his teammates were just trying to win a period but couldn't get out of their own way:

“We just try to go win a period. We make mistakes like that, and it’s tough, but you have to play through it."

He and his team followed that game up with a 3-2 overtime loss to the Detroit Red Wings on Wednesday. The Penguins will get their next chance to turn things on Friday against the Columbus Blue Jackets.