Nathan MacKinnon Reveals Sidney Crosby's Savage 'Welcome to the NHL' Moment

Expected to represent Team Canada together once again at the 2026 Olympic Games, Nathan MacKinnon and Sidney Crosby have a bond that has spanned for many years.

They were notably spotted on the ice with San Jose Sharks forwards Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith:

In a recent interview with Elliotte Friedman, both players sat down and recalled a hilarious story showing Crosby's unmatched compete level.

Crosby and MacKinnon have trained together for years in the Maritimes, but didn't know each other that much back in the summer of 2013.

Just days after MacKinnon was drafted first overall by the Avs, they were training on the beach of Prince Edward Island. The 2022 Stanley Cup champion and the Penguins captain needed to do 10 sprints to finish their workout.

Crosby won the first nine, but MacKinnon managed to get a lead in the tenth. As he got closer to the finish line, Crosby tripped him to win the final race.

Listen to the full story in MacKinnon's words here:

This shows the great relationship between the players, but also how they are driven by a high desire to win in everything they compete in, even offseason-friendly training races.

It also says a lot about Crosby's leadership and humor that make him such a great teammate. He always manages to get the best out of his teammates, on and off the ice.

Even if the Penguins enter the 2025-26 NHL season with relatively low expectations, a team led by Sidney Crosby must not be taken lightly, especially as he looks to build up momentum for the Olympic Games and try to capitalize on what could be his last opportunity of having a playoff run with the Pittsburgh Penguins.