Sidney Crosby and Paul Skenes share experiences and pressures of first overall pick
For two athletes in the city of Pittsburgh, the weight of expectation is nothing new, but when it happens in different generations, they're able to lean on one another.
Both drafted first overall, both expected to turn around the fate of two once-great franchises, Sidney Crosby and Paul Skenes don't have a ton in common, but one thing they do have is a mutual respect.
Skenes was all of three years old when Sidney Crosby was drafted first overall by the Penguins, and when Paul Skenes was selected first overall by the Pirates in 2023, Crosby's Penguins had not qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2006.
Despite the years between them, the two have been following one another with respect for the last year, and in , the two expressed their admiration for one another.
"I've been following him," Crosby said. "When he was pitching, I think he went seven, and he got pulled because they were saving his arm. I was really hoping they kept him in, but I understood. [The Penguins], we talk about him, we see him."
When Pat McAfee took over PPG Paints Arena this past spring, Crosby and Skenes finally had the chance to meet one another.
"First thing that stands out, he's a big guy," recalled Crosby. "If he's pitching from the mound, the ball is coming out of his hand like 10 feet closer. He's that tall, and he already throws it super hard."
Days after meeting at McAfee's Big Night AHT, Skenes got to check out Crosby in action when he attended his first NHL game, a 5-2 win over the Washington Capitals.
"He's a guy that transcends the sport, I think," Skenes said. "It's such a huge honor to be able to have a city know you, and for you to be beloved by the city. It sets an example for people who are in my position and all of our positions to hopefully follow. I'm going to be looking up to him for a while."
