Crosby tied Jaromir Jagr for the second most All-Star selections in Penguins history, trailing only Mario Lemieux's 13. But Crosby participating in the game has been relatively rare.
Now in his 18th NHL season, Crosby has played in the All-Star Game four times. He's missed another four with injuries after being selected and last appeared in the 2019 game.
"Did I not attend a few times? I had some injuries," Crosby said Thursday after being asked if he'd play in the game.
The chances for Crosby to join some of his most distinguished peers could be waning. Because of that, the 35-year-old said he particularly appreciates this opportunity.
"It's an honor to be named to the All-Star team," Crosby said. "You don't know how many opportunities you're going to get at that. So that's how I look at it."
On Jan. 5, the NHL department of hockey operations named one player from each of the 32 teams to the 3-on-3 tournament between its four divisions, which will take place at FLA LIVE Arena in Sunrise, Florida, on Feb. 4 (3 p.m. ET; ABC, ESPN+, CBC, SN, TVAS).
The All-Star Skills Competition presented by DraftKings, which Crosby said he is looking forward to, will be held the night before (7 p.m. ET, ESPN, ESPN+, SN, TVAS).
"I always like watching fastest skater and hardest shot," Crosby said. "I think those two are always fun as a fan. Just watching up close, seeing guys like that with no helmet on, pretty brave. I think those two stand out."
Crosby leads the Penguins with 48 points (21 goals, 27 assists) in 40 games. He has 1,457 points (538 goals, 919 assists) in 1,148 NHL games, climbing from 22nd in points at the start of the season into a tie with Teemu Selanne for 17th in NHL history entering Thursday.
The three-time Stanley Cup champion (2009, 2016, 2017) has 38 points (18 goals, 20 assists) at even strength, tied with Edmonton Oilers forward Connor McDavid for second in the NHL behind San Jose Sharks defenseman Erik Karlsson (41).
If it's up to Crosby, he won't go to Sunrise alone.
Evgeni Malkin, who is second on the Penguins with 39 points (14 goals, 25 assists) in 40 games, could get into the game as part of the 2023 All-Star Fan Vote presented by Guaranteed Rate at
NHL.com/Vote
. The remaining 12 players (two skaters, one goalie per division), will be decided by the vote.
Malkin, 36, has played in the All-Star game four times with the last coming in 2016. He has never played it with Crosby.
"That'd be awesome. We'll see what happens with the fan vote," Crosby said. "Would love to have 'Geno' come along, or anyone else that could possibly get voted off the team. So that'd be great."
Malkin had four points (two goals, two assists) to help the Penguins rally from down 3-0 to defeat the Vancouver Canucks 5-4 on Tuesday. Crosby had the second of Pittsburgh's five straight goals, giving him five points (two goals, three assists) in his past three games.
The Penguins (21-14-6) won two in a row before a 4-1 loss to the Winnipeg Jets on Friday.
"It doesn't matter if you're down 2-0 or 3-0, just play right," Malkin said. "We can beat any team in the League."
That effort was indicative of what Crosby and Malkin mean to Pittsburgh, coach Mike Sullivan said.
"I just think a lot of it starts with our leadership," Sullivan said. "I think the character of our leadership steps up in those types of occasions. They did it again for us."
