Mario Lemieux on reported rift with Sidney Crosby: 'Absolutely not true'

Pittsburgh Penguins co-owner Mario Lemieux called a report that he and Sidney Crosby had a falling out "silly" Wednesday afternoon, according to the team's Twitter account.

Crosby weighed in on the matter after the Penguins' 4-3 OT win over the St. Louis Blues Wednesday night.

"I honestly don’t even know what to say to that," he told reporters. "If people are going to make stuff up, it’s totally out of my control. I feel stupid even commenting on it, to be honest with you. That’s ridiculous. I don’t know if it’s a coincidence when you’re struggling and the points aren’t coming that something like that comes up, but in my experience that’s usually the case. So I’m just going to worry about playing.”

Earlier Wednesday, Sirius XM's Matthew Barnaby said there were problems between Lemieux and the Penguins' captain, both of whom are franchise pillars.

“But the more and more I looked into it, the more I found out, people with the same sentiments, that there’s a big falling out between Mario (Lemieux) and (Sidney) Crosby," said Barnaby, who played 129 games with the Penguins from 1999-2001. "Now whether that pushes them to move him at some point? Whether he wants to move? That I don’t know, “ he said.

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Crosby was drafted first overall in 2005 by Pittsburgh. The 28-year-old is in the third season of a 12-year, $104,400,000 contract. Even though he has struggled this season -- three goals, 11 points in 20 games -- Crosby is widely considered one of the best players in the NHL.

"It's (rumored rift) absolutely not true," Lemieux said. "It's silly."

What caused it?

"I've heard over coaching," Barnaby said. "I've heard after the (2014) playoffs when they lost out. Maybe the personnel isn't right?"

Crosby lived with Lemeiux for the first five years of his career, as detailed by the The Globe and Mail.

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The Penguins won the 2009 Stanley Cup and have advanced to the playoffs in nine consecutive seasons, losing in the first round last year and the Eastern Conference finals in 2014 after they had a 3-1 series lead against the New York Rangers.

They have long sought a second winger to play with Crosby, acquiring Phil Kessel this offseason. The former Maple Leafs forward finds himself with Evgeny Malkin now. Crosby has played mostly with Pascal Dupuis and Patric Hornqvist.

The Penguins are 12-8-0, third in the Metropolitan Division.

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