Pittsburgh Penguins star captain Sidney Crosby added to his Hall of Fame accomplishments when, on Sunday, December 21st at PPG Paints Arena, he became the franchise’s all-time leading scorer during a 4-3 shootout win against the Montreal Canadiens.
Crosby Passes Lemieux as Penguins All-Time Leading Point Scorer
Crosby, who is in his 21st season, didn’t waste any time in thrilling the crowd by making history as he redirected at 7:58 of the first period a shot from defenceman Erik Karlsson past Montreal goalie Jakub Dobes, which not only gave him 20 goals on the season but 1,723 points, which now tied him with Mario Lemieux as the Penguins’ all-time franchise leader.
Showing that flair for the dramatics, Crosby, who is affectionately known as ‘Sid the Kid,’ didn’t stay tied with Lemieux for long, as he received a thunderous ovation and an enthusiastic congratulations from his teammates when, with 7:20 left in the first period, he assisted on a Rikard Rakell goal to become the Penguins all-time leading Pens point scorer.
Crosby, who has 17 goals along with 37 points this year, had a chance over the past two games to catch Lemieux but was held pointless during a December 18th 4-0 loss against the Ottawa Senators and two days later a 4-0 loss against the Canadiens.
“It’s kind of mixed emotions, I guess,” Crosby said. “Because that number, I’ve been kind of hanging around. The hockey gods made me earn it, I feel like, the last few games. But just to get the win, to get a win in a shootout, it all kind of lined up as well tonight.”
Crosby Climbs to NHL’s Eighth Leading Scorer
Crosby, who is now 38 years-old, trails only Steve Yzerman (1,755), Marcel Dionne (1,771), Ron Francis (1,798), Gordie Howe (1,850), Mark Messier (1,887), Jaromir Jagr (1,921) and the “Great One”, Wayne Gretzky (2,857) for most NHL points in a career.
In terms of the all-time assists leader, Crosby is once again on the top 10 leaderboard as his 1,079 assists have him ranked in an eighth-place tie with Adam Oates behind Hall of Famers Joe Thornton (1,109), Paul Coffey (1,135), Jagr (1,155), Ray Bourque (1,169), Messier (1,193), Francis (1,249) and Gretzky at 1,963).
Is Crosby Among the Top Five to Play in the NHL?
Crosby’s career isn’t over yet, and it’s hard not to marvel at all his accomplishments. A look at his resume shows that ‘Sid The Kid’ has participated in 10 All-Star Games (2007), (2008), (2009), (2011), (2015), (2017), (2018), (2019), (2023) (2024) along with winning two Art Ross Trophies ( 2007 and 2014), two Hart Trophies (2007, 2014), three Ted Lindsay Award Trophies (2007, 2013 and 2014), two Mark Messier Award Trophies (2007, 2010), three Stanley Cups (2009, 2016 and 2017) and two Rocket Richard Trophies (2010 and 2017) to name just a few of his many more accomplishments.
Most importantly, he is extremely respected by his peers around the game who all had nothing but complimentary things to say about Crosby after he broke Lemieux’s franchise point mark.
When reflecting on the record, Crosby had some heavy praise for Lemieux by stating,
“I have so much appreciation for having the opportunity to play with him, live with him and learn from him. You grow up watching him, you never expect you’re going to make it to the NHL, let alone play with him. He was a big part of helping me out and a huge influence on me.”
Main Image: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
