Sidney Crosby is gutted after missing playoffs for the first time in 16 years - "I just hope we learn from this"

Sidney Crosby expressed his disappointment after his team missed the playoffs for the first time in 16 years. The Penguins had a decorated postseason streak, which included three Stanley Cup titles in 2009, 2016, and 2017. However, they have failed to advance past the first round since 2018.

The Penguins had a rollercoaster season, with inconsistency derailing their hopes of making the playoffs. After a strong start, they lost their next seven games before going on a 14-2-2 stretch, only to lose seven of their next eight games.

Mike Sullivan, the team's head coach, said that it was difficult to pinpoint the reason for the inconsistency. That everyone, including the coaching staff, had to take responsibility for it.

Crosby, who has led Pittsburgh with 93 points in 82 games this season, said:

"Nobody feels good. We all feel responsible. It's not a great feeling."

He hopes that the team can learn from this experience and become a motivated group that can bounce back stronger.

"I just hope that we learn from this. I think that's the biggest thing," Crosby said.

Despite missing the playoffs, Sidney Crosby remains confident in his team's ability to compete at a high level. He believes that the trio of himself, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang, who have won three Stanley Cup titles together, will provide the best chance for the team to win another championship in the near future.

However, changes are inevitable. The Penguins have already made some significant moves by firing Brian Burke as president of hockey operations, Ron Hextall as general manager, and Chris Pryor as assistant GM. A new head of hockey operations will be hired.

Sidney Crosby talked about the turnovers and motivation moving forward

Sidney Crosby acknowledged that there will likely be more turnover on the team, given their recent struggles.

"When you lose, there's always going to be change," he said. "But I think there has been a lot of turnover the last few years. It's hard to predict. We lost in the first round in those years prior. Given what's happened this year, I'd expect there to be more turnover again. To what extent? I don't know."

Crosby continued:

"Regardless of the situation, whether you win or you lose in the first round, second round, whatever, you have to learn from it," he said. "That's something where we'll have a lot of time to dissect it and learn from it. Hopefully, we're a motivated group because of going through this."

Sidney Crosby hopes that the team can learn from this experience and become a better team as a result.