I was scrolling through Twitter a few weeks ago and came across a tweet from ESPN's John Buccigross. He had ranked his top 11 players for the Hart Trophy this season.
To my surprise, he had Penguins captain Sidney Crosby listed at No. 4. I thought to myself, "Is he really having that good of a season? He hasn't been mentioned anywhere in the Hart conversation."
Well, he's not exactly a top contender for the Hart, because he sits outside the top 10 in points, assists and goals. His injuries haven't helped, either. I don't agree with Bucci that he should be in the top five of the Hart conversation.
But he has more points than games played and continues to dominate the two-way game. He's top-25 in the league in points and assists and is leading the way for the Penguins. Oh, and Crosby is still really, really, REALLY good at passing.
SIDNEY. CROSBY.
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) January 26, 2022
What a feed. 😱 pic.twitter.com/lotpZYqpGX
Sidney Crosby with the one-handed pass 🔥 pic.twitter.com/2KSjEdnSsp
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) March 5, 2022
Welcome to the Sidney Crosby edge work clinic. pic.twitter.com/6XCGeIyV5S
— Danny Shirey (@DannyShireyPGH) March 23, 2022
It got me thinking — is it possible that the NHL community has completely forgotten about one of the greatest players of this generation?
Hand up, I've been one of them as of late. With players like Connor McDavid, Auston Matthews, Leon Draisaitl, Kirill Kaprizov (you get the idea) taking over the league, we're starting to take for granted just how good some of the older players are.
Alex Ovechkin continues to make headlines with his race to break Wayne Gretzky's goal record, but let us not forget the man he has been mentioned with since entering the league. Crosby has been a point-per-game player this season while helping the Penguins to one of the best records in the Eastern Conference.
It shouldn't come as a surprise. There were questions about Crosby's health heading into the season, but let's face it, injuries have been a part of the 2005 No. 1 overall draft pick's career. He continues to be an elite player in both zones and is in a position to possibly win a fourth Stanley Cup.
MORE: Maple Leafs single-season goal record: Auston Matthews passes Rick Vaive with No. 55
What are Sidney Crosby's stats this season?
In his 17th NHL season, Crosby is averaging over a point per game.
That's right — Crosby has been a point-per-game player every season he has played in the NHL. No matter the injuries, the Cole Harbor kid has been an elite offensive playmaker.
This season, the Penguins captain has 72 points in 59 games, which leads the team and ranks 21st in the league. Despite missing more than 10 games because of injury, Crosby is second on the Penguins with 26 goals and 46 assists.
His 28 power-play points are the best on the club and 12th in the league, and his 20 assists on the man advantage place him 11th. His seven game-winning goals are tied for 12th-most in the NHL.
No, he hasn't been the 100-point scorer that we saw four years ago. But he still has been one of the top players on the Penguins and has them in position to make a run at a Stanley Cup.
What are Sidney Crosby's career stats?
He wasted no time making his presence known when he entered the league in 2005.
He potted 102 points his rookie season, 120 the next, and then 72 in a season where he played only 53 games. He had 103 and 109 points, respectively, in his fourth and fifth seasons.
Crosby has recorded over 100 points six times in his career and at least 80 in 10 of the 17 seasons. He has led the league in points twice, in goals twice and in assists once.
He has been pretty good in the postseason, too. Crosby has three Stanley Cups to his name. He led the postseason in assists and points in 2008, finished first in goals in 2009 and dished out the most assists in 2017.
In fact, the Penguins captain has quite the hardware collection. Not only does he have three Stanley Cup rings, but he also has two Hart Trophies, two Art Ross Trophies, three Ted Lindsay Awards, two Rocket Richard Trophies and two Conn Smythe Trophies.
| SEASON | GP | G | A | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005-06 | 81 | 39 | 63 | 102 |
| 2006-07 | 79 | 36 | 84 | 120 |
| 2007-08 | 53 | 24 | 48 | 72 |
| 2008-09 | 77 | 33 | 70 | 103 |
| 2009-10 | 81 | 51 | 58 | 109 |
| 2010-11 | 41 | 32 | 34 | 66 |
| 2011-12 | 22 | 8 | 29 | 37 |
| 2012-13 | 36 | 15 | 41 | 56 |
| 2013-14 | 80 | 36 | 68 | 104 |
| 2014-15 | 77 | 28 | 56 | 84 |
| 2015-16 | 80 | 36 | 49 | 85 |
| 2016-17 | 75 | 44 | 44 | 88 |
| 2017-18 | 82 | 29 | 59 | 88 |
| 2018-19 | 79 | 35 | 65 | 100 |
| 2019-20 | 41 | 16 | 31 | 47 |
| 2020-21 | 55 | 24 | 38 | 62 |
| 2021-22 | 59 | 26 | 46 | 72 |
Where does Sidney Crosby rank all time in points?
Crosby has crawled into the top 25 all time this season; he's now 23rd with 1,397 points. He's one point shy of tying Jari Kurri and four points behind Ovechkin, who also is creeping up the list.
There's a strong possibility Crosby passes Dale Hawerchuk by the end of this season. Crosby is 13 points away from Hawerchuk with 11 games remaining.
The top 25 point scorers in NHL history (active players are listed in bold type):
| Wayne Gretzky | 2,857 |
| Jaromir Jagr | 1,921 |
| Mark Messier | 1,887 |
| Gordie Howe | 1,850 |
| Ron Francis | 1,798 |
| Marcel Dionne | 1,771 |
| Steve Yzerman | 1,755 |
| Mario Lemieux | 1,723 |
| Joe Sakic | 1,641 |
| Phil Esposito | 1,590 |
| Ray Bourque | 1,579 |
| Joe Thornton | 1,538 |
| Mark Recchi | 1,533 |
| Paul Coffey | 1,531 |
| Stan Mikita | 1,467 |
| Teemu Selanne | 1,457 |
| Bryan Trottier | 1,425 |
| Adam Oates | 1,420 |
| Doug Gilmour | 1,414 |
| Dale Hawerchuk | 1,409 |
| Alex Ovechkin | 1,401 |
| Jari Kurri | 1,398 |
| Sidney Crosby | 1,397 |
| Luc Robitaille | 1,394 |
| Brett Hull | 1,391 |