Sidney Crosby's childhood friend once shared why $104.4M star intentionally wanted his teeth knocked out

Sidney Crosby is one of the greatest hockey players ever, but he once wanted to get his teeth knocked out while playing the game. Crosby, who's entering the final year of his 12-year $104.4 million deal, moved away from home to play high school hockey in Minnesota and there, he met several of his still close friends. One of them was Tyler Evans, who, like Crosby, had buck teeth. Evans said to The Athletic in 2020:

"Sid and I both had buck teeth. His were a little worse. I grew into mine a little bit and don’t have them too bad anymore. We both wanted to play pro — both assumed we were going to — and we said, 'Man, I want to get my teeth knocked out. Then I can get perfect teeth.'"

Although Crosby's teeth bothered him, Matthew Ford and other players were blown away by his build and skill:

"But as much as Sid looked like this buck-toothed kid, he had the biggest quads I’ve ever seen. He was already a beast."

When Crosby was in the NHL, he played a game against the Philadelphia Flyers when defenseman Darian Hatcher knocked Crosby's teeth out. Evans immediately got excited about this:

"I was watching the game when Hatcher knocked Sid’s front teeth out. I remember thinking, 'Oh, it happened! He’s going to get his good teeth!'"

Crosby did end up getting his teeth fixed due to the hit, which became a joke for his childhood friends from the high school in Minnesota.

Sidney Crosby closing in on contract extension

Sidney Crosby is entering the final of his deal, and all signs point to him signing an extension with the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Athletic's Rob Rossi reported on July 8th that Crosby and the Penguins were getting close to a contract extension:

"Sidney Crosby are closing in on a new contract, multiple team and league sources briefed on negotiations told The Athletic. The team and player are confident a deal will be agreed upon and formalized soon, the sources said."

Crosby has only ever played for the Penguins, as he was drafted first overall in the 2005 NHL draft. This past season, he recorded 42 goals and 52 assists for 94 points in 82 games.