Sidney Crosby acknowledges trade rumors linking him to Nathan MacKinnon's Avalanche after Canada's massive 4 Nations win

Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby talked about the trade rumors. Despite speculation and fan desires to see him reunite with Nova Scotia-native Nathan MacKinnon on the Colorado Avalanche, Crosby has reiterated his commitment to the Penguins.

During the media availability ahead of the Penguins' 4-1 loss to the Avalanche on Tuesday, Crosby acknowledged the excitement surrounding the possibility of playing with MacKinnon again, but he remained focused on his current team.

"It was great hockey. I'm sure there's a lot of hypotheticals out there, but I know that just from being part of that hockey, that was some special hockey, and people got excited seeing everyone together like that," said Crosby via NHL.

Nathan MacKinnon considers Sidney Crosby his best friend and when asked about what it means for Crosby, he said:

"Yeah, I mean, it means a lot. It's funny how things work. You know, just kind of meeting him as a young guy, and seeing him develop and get to know him becoming neighbors. It's crazy how fast time goes. But you know, he's a great friend, and like I said, I'm happy to see him have success. So that means a lot," he added.

Sidney Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon played a key role in helping Team Canada win gold at the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament by defeating the United States 3-2.

Sidney Crosby and Penguins playoff hopes fading after loss to Avs

On Tuesday, the Colorado Avalanche defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-1 at Ball Arena. Artturi Lehkonen opened the scoring for the Avs after giving them a 1-0 lead 6:36 into the second period.

Rickard Rakell, the lone scorer for the Penguins, tied it 1-1 at 18:04 before heading into the third period. Casey Mittlestadt scored on the power play to make it 2-1 for Colorado at 15:51.

With less than two minutes remaining in the game, Lehkonen scored an empty netter to make it 3-1 before Jack Drury capped off the night with another empty netter for the Avs' win. Nathan MacKinnon and Lehkonen accumulated two points apiece.

The playoff hopes for Sidney Crosby and the Penguins are fading away as the latest defeat puts them eight points off a wild-card spot in the East. As it stands, it could be the third straight year without Crosby in the postseason.