WATCH: Sidney Crosby congratulates Nathan MacKinnon on Mooseheads jersey retirement

By Srihari Anand

Modified Sep 26, 2023 17:29 GMT

Sidney Crosby made a special appearance during Nathan MacKinnon's Halifax Mooseheads jersey retirement last night.

Crosby and MacKinnon have more in common than being star hockey athletes, Stanley Champions and winners of multiple NHL accolades. They both grew up in Cole Harbour, Halifax.

Halifax Mooseheads won the QMJHL's Memorial Cup in 2013, and No. 22 Nathan MacKinnon was instrumental in helping the team win a franchise-first Memorial Cup.

The ceremony took place before Halifax's game against Charlottetown Islanders. Ahead of the game, Nathan MacKinnon reminisced about his two years playing for the Mooseheads and said:

"This team has meant a lot to me my whole life. It's coming full circle. I never thought that my jersey would be retired here, growing up as a Moosehead fan. Those two years kind of stick out in my life more than anything I think."

Crosby and many of MacKinnon's former teammates and coaches congratulated the forward on his special night in a video that was played during the ceremony.

Sidney Crosby's message to his Cole Harbour friend was:

“Hey Nate, just wanted to congratulate you on your jersey being retired. I know how much that time meant to you. I'm sure it meant a lot to everyone who had the opportunity to watch you play, and everyone you got to share it with."

Crosby went on to say that a jersey retirement is the best way to represent MacKinnon's contributions to the team and other people's lives who he impacted with his game:

"What better way to represent that than to see your jersey go to the rafters? You deserve it, hope you have a great night celebrating with everyone, and congratulations."

Sidney Crosby wants to bring back defunct NHL rule

The red line rule existed in the league up until 2005, when it was removed from the NHL rulebook. The line prevented players from passing the puck across blue lines on each end of the ice.

In an interview with ESPN's Greg Wyshynski & Kristen Shilton, Sidney Crosby showed desire to bring back the red line to the modern-day NHL as one of the changes he'd like to see implemented.

"I don't want to add this or subtract it [as a rule]. I just want to see it: Bringing the red line back," Crosby said. "I would just love to see how that would affect the game. You knew when it was there, there's a ton of trapping and all that sort of thing, but it would just be a totally different game today."

Crosby then mentioned how bringing the red line back would benefit the game:

"I think it would force you to have to make a few more passes. I just would love to see the combination of the way we play now combined with bringing the red line back, compared to what it would've looked like when it was first there."