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Crosby says 60-game season would be “pretty fair”

NHLPA Member Meeting

NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 13: Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins meets with the media following the NHLPA meeting at Marriott Marquis Times Square on September 13, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

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Sidney Crosby isn’t just coming to grips with the reality of a shortened NHL season -- he also has a number in mind.

That’s what the Penguins captain told WXDX Pittsburgh radio on Friday, suggesting a 60-game schedule would work well:

On games needed to have a legitimate regular season:

Sidney Crosby: “I don’t really have a number. I just think as many as they can get. That’s what I would hope would be everyone’s goal. I don’t want to put a number on it — the closer we can get to a full one, the better for everybody.”

On how many games are enough for everyone to get a fair shake:

SC: “Right off the top of my head, I gotta think 60. … I’m sure less than that could be played but I think 60 would be pretty fair. There are teams that struggle and that gives you a chance to go through a tough point in the season and still have time to kinda gather yourself. So that’s a length that I’m sure everyone could live with, but I’m sure that we’d all be much happier playing much more than that.”

On the the 48-game schedule after a work stoppage in 1994:

SC: “There’s at least that. Maybe they could think about that, but I really don’t know. I think 60 is a fair amount but I don’t even want to talk about that because if they’ve canceled 12 for everyone then that still leaves us at 70.”

(Transcription courtesy Sports Radio Interviews)

The 1994-95 lockout ended on Jan. 11 and the regular season started nine days later, on Jan. 20.

Games ran through May 3, the first time in NHL history the regular season extended into May, and teams only played intra-conference contests, meaning Eastern and Western conference teams didn’t face each other.

The 1994-95 postseason began on May 6 (comparatively speaking, last year’s playoffs began on Apr. 11) and ended on June 24, thanks in large part to New Jersey sweeping the Detroit in the Stanley Cup final.