He later added, "Been here for a long time and been fortunate to play with some great players. That's how I look at it."
Crosby is one of just five players in NHL history to spend their entire career with one team spanning a minimum of 21 seasons joining Alex Delvecchio (24), Stan Mikita (22), Steve Yzerman (22), and Alex Ovechkin (21). He is also the longest-tenured captain in NHL history at 19 seasons.
During season ticket delivery ahead of training camp, Crosby was asked if he could express what Pittsburgh means to him. While he often says questions of that nature are difficult to express in one soundbite, Crosby did his best.
"I talk about the first day, and you think about first impressions - I didn't know a lot about Pittsburgh prior to being drafted, and I showed up at the airport and could barely move," Crosby said.
"The support that I felt from day one, the relationships that I formed here, the memories, the teammates, the fans... I mean, you go down the list. I'm so grateful and thankful that I've had the opportunity to play here as long as I have. And I think anyone who knows me knows what the city means to me and how special it is."
Lemieux actually drove by while Crosby was visiting fans at their homes in Sewickley. That's where Lemieux famously opened up his home to Crosby when he was just an 18-year-old rookie to help make everything easier. The impact Lemieux has had on Crosby is also difficult for him to articulate, and he gave quite an answer.
"Coming in, there's so many new things and the expectations and everything that comes with it as a young player," Crosby said. "So, having someone like Mario and his family there to just keep things as normal as possible, to be there for anything that I needed, any questions I had, just to keep things as normal as they could possibly be given the situation... and then be able to learn from someone like him, who's been through so much and played at the level that he did and went through the adversity that he did... and just his family as a whole, is so important.
"So yeah, I don't know if I can put into words how much it means, but it's meant a lot, and I really cherish that. That relationship and his family and everything that they've done for me."