It was a very optimistic Sidney Crosby on the other end of the phone Tuesday, and why not after his decision to extend his season resulted in it ending with a championship.

World championship gold was a sweet way to end things.

"I just wanted to keep playing," Crosby told ESPN.com. "I felt healthy at the end of the year. So I figured if I could keep playing, I’d like to. We had a great group there. You don’t know how many chances you’re going to have to play in the world championships, because hopefully you’re going deep in the [NHL] playoffs every year. The fact we were out early and I felt healthy, I was just excited to keep playing."

Crosby was so eager to keep playing that he made sure his agent was quick on the dial after the Pittsburgh Penguins were eliminated by the New York Rangers in the opening round; knowing that Team Canada had already named almost a full roster for the world championships in Prague, time was of the essence.

"Pat Brisson texted right after the game that night; he said Sidney had interest in coming," Dallas Stars general manager Jim Nill, who was also Canada’s general manager at the worlds, said Tuesday.

"It was great on his part. His presence was huge."

As Nill noted, Crosby’s presence was different than in past events for the superstar center. At 27, he was actually one of the older players on the team, along with veterans Dan Hamhuis, Jason Spezza and Mike Smith.

"It was probably one of the first tournaments he’s come to where he was one of the older guys," said Nill. "In the past, he’s been one of the young guys and yet still expected to be the leader -- he’d be five, six, seven years younger than a lot of the guys, if you go back to some of the Olympics."

What Nill observed in Prague was a very comfortable Crosby.

"It was neat to watch," said Nill. "We had this big cafeteria where everyone ate, and he’d be sitting there with five or six players and they’d be telling stories. It was almost like sitting around a campfire. I think he really enjoyed that. It was a different pressure. Guys were looking up to him and asking him things. Instead of him being the younger guy still trying to lead. It was a different dynamic, and I think he really enjoyed it."

The gold medal allowed Crosby to enter the IIHF Triple Gold Club of players who have won a Stanley Cup, an Olympic gold and a world championship gold. IIHF president Rene Fasel made a presentation to Crosby right after the game to welcome him to the prestigious club.

"That was really cool," said Crosby. "Rene Fasel did a little ceremony there after. To be part of that group is pretty cool. It’s not something you think about beforehand. Just being able to go over there and win and play with guys with which you usually have some pretty heated rivalries with, that was cool. It was nice to meet some guys and learn some new things, too."

He played for a new coach, too, and it’s clear Crosby came away impressed with Todd McLellan and the rest of the staff. McLellan was introduced Tuesday as the new head coach of the Edmonton Oilers.

"He was really good, the whole staff was really organized," Crosby said. "We had to adjust a little bit playing on the big ice, and all the European teams know how to use it to their advantage and how to play on it. But everything was pretty clear cut as far as exactly what we needed to do. Nothing surprised us. For being a short-term event, we were really organized in the way we needed to play. That game against Sweden, we’re down 3-0, [McLellan] came in and definitely sent a message to us that we needed to be better. It’s probably not the easiest thing to do when you just get a group together like that. But he had a good read and a really good pulse, and it was really good for us."

And now the offseason begins for Crosby, who will spend most of June in California working out. He sounded energized already about next season. His Penguins had a disappointing end to their season, although given the injuries to the lineup, including missing three of their top four defensemen, the captain views the first-round exit with a balanced view.

"I know we lost in the first round, but I thought we did a lot of good things," he said. "Obviously, losing two of those in overtime was tough. I thought the guys that came in [for the injured players] did a really good job. I thought our compete [level] was really good. For how deep the Rangers are, and you look at the guys we didn’t have in our lineup, I thought we did a really good job of playing consistently and competing. That’s hockey sometimes: You’re on the wrong side of it. But it was a good learning experience for us, and hopefully we can get everyone healthy and make a run next year."