Retirement

It had been a long time coming, but the day had finally come where Sidney Crosby was set to retire.

Sidney had suffered yet another awful concussion during an intense game against the Flyers and he wasn't bouncing back as best as he used to when he was younger. He was now in his mid-thirties and it was about the time to hang up his gloves in the professional league.

It had been a long road to recovery, but Sidney eventually bounced back. When he had made a full recovery, Sidney and Brielle sat down and discussed all of the options until they eventually decided that hanging up his gloves was the best idea. They came to the conclusion that no matter what, Sidney's health was the most important; being around for his family was always the most important thing to the both of them and at the end of the day, that's what they agreed upon.

Sitting out for the final games of the season due to his concussion, Sidney sat on the bench and did his job as captain. He encouraged his teammates to do their very best on the ice and to keep their heads up and play a clean game. Sidney also warned them that their defense needed to step up a little bit and that there needed to be more shots on goal, putting more pressure on the opposing goalie to tire him out and eventually slip up and let a goal or two slip into the net.

When the press conference began, Sidney and Brielle sat at the center of the table, their five children sitting on either side of them. It wasn't until the crowd settled down and the room began to get quiet that Sidney began to speak. He spoke about how he had loved the years that the NHL and the Penguins had given him the opportunity to play the sport that he loved so greatly; he spoke about how he had had both good seasons and bad seasons, the best things about being a career Penguin and also the challenges that being captain brought on. He thanked his family for standing by him, even though he was often pulled away for road trips and practices, his coach for having the faith in him to have a C on his jersey, and his teammates for always believing in him to bring the encouragement and direction to win games, even help pull them out of the few slumps they had.

There were numerous questions asked, each receiving the best answer possible from Sidney, Brielle, or one of the children. The entire Crosby crew, as the fans had nicknamed the family of seven, had plenty of questions asked of them, gladly taking the time to answer each and every single one. The questions ranged from Sidney being asked if he would take a position in the team's management department or as a coach to Sidney Jr. being asked if he would play for the Penguins, seeing as how he had the talent enough to.

When the press conference was over, the entire Crosby family made their way back to the house and went about their own routines. Brielle and Sidney went to the kitchen, Brielle pulling out a bottle of wine and a couple of glasses. "How does it feel Mr. Crosby? You don't have to wake up tomorrow for an early practice," Brielle questioned, pouring the red liquid into the glasses.

"Well, Mrs. Crosby," Sidney spoke, taking the glass from his wife and pulling her close to him as he sat on the bar stool. "I get to wake up and lay in bed with my wife until she gets hungry and I can take her to breakfast. Then I'm thinking about surprising her by telling her that I booked a trip to her favorite vacation getaway for two weeks and that the kids will be taken care of by my parents. And, that's just the beginning," Sidney told her.

"Mr. Crosby, I like the sound of this very much. I think that maybe I should go upstairs and start packing," Brielle spoke.

"I think I might have to join you," Sidney said with a certain look in his eyes.

"Sidney Crosby, the children are home," Brielle laughed.

"I think that we can get rid of them," Sidney spoke, pulling his wallet out of his pocket.

"Then get rid of the children," she said, walking out of the room and towards the master suite of the house.

"I'm really going to love retirement," Sidney mumbled to himself.