Sidney Crosby: Penguins ready to 'prove ourselves again'

After last season's postseason collapse, Sidney Crosby and Pittsburgh Penguins head into the 2022-23 season a motivated bunch.

Entering his 18th NHL season, the Penguins captain believes the team has an opportunity to learn from last season's premature end and get better in the process. 

"I think you have to have that approach every year, regardless of how it finishes," Crosby told reporters Friday. "You've got to learn from it. We feel like we didn't close out the Rangers and probably left a sour taste. Everyone has a chance to start fresh and learn from that and be better for it." 

Despite holding a 3-1 advantage over the New York Rangers in the opening round of last year's NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Penguins dropped three straight games to the Broadway Blue-Shirts, knocking them out of the postseason.

There's perhaps some added motivation for Crosby and the Penguins, as this may be the final run with their core group, many of whom have been a part of multiple Cup-winning teams in Pittsburgh. 

Some believed last season signaled the end of Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang's time with the Pens, but general manager Ron Hextall opted to bring both veterans back for one more run. 

While keeping the band together is a feel-good story, Crosby knows the real work is only beginning. 

"It's nice to have some guys that were here last year that went through that, for sure," Crosby said. "But it's a new group and we have to prove ourselves again. I think experience is nice, but it's what you do with it."