Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby is about to begin his 20th NHL season, putting him in exclusive company.
Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby is about to begin his 20th NHL season. The league's 10th leading scorer is close to scoring his 600th goal and 1,600th point.
Regarding his place in the hockey annuals, he's about to become the 70th* skater to play in the NHL for 20 seasons, joined in the category by other active players, including Corey Perry, Alex Ovechkin, and Ryan Suter.
The only two players who began their careers before the 37-year-old are Marc-Andre Fleury and Brent Burns, each entering their 21st season.
However, that's not the craziest statistic regarding Crosby's longevity.
Instead, out of the soon-to-be 73 players to skate in 20 seasons, Sid the Kid has either played with or against 37 of them, accounting for 50.6% of the list.
Former teammates Marc-Andre Fleury and Sidney Crosby in action against one another. © Matt BlewettIt is fascinating to see the names of Crosby's old teammates and rivals and how many of them have gone on to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. Here's a look at the list with the year of their retirement.
- Steve Yzerman (2006)
- Dave Andreychuk (2006)
- Joe Nieuwendyk (2007)
- Scott Mellanby (2007)
- Glen Wesley (2008)
- Joe Sakic (2009)
- Teppo Numminen (2009)
- Jeremy Roenick (2009)
- Brendan Shanahan (2009)
- Luke Richardson (2009)
- Gary Roberts (2009)*
- Claude Lemieux (2009)
- Chris Chelios (2010)
- Rod Brind'Amour (2010)
- Rob Blake (2010)
- Mathieu Schneider (2010)
- Kris Draper (2011)
- Mike Modano (2011)
- Marc Recchi (2011)*
- Nicklas Lidström (2012)
- Roman Hamrlik (2013)
- Teemu Selanne (2014)
- Ray Whitney (2014)
- Sergei Gonchar (2015)*
- Patrik Elias (2016)
- Jarome Iginla (2017)*
- Shane Doan (2017)
- Jaromir Jagr (2018)
- Matt Cullen (2019)*
- Patrick Marleau (2021)*
- Joe Thronton (2022)
- Zdeno Chara (2022)
- Ryan Suter (Active)
- Alex Ovechkin (Active)
- Corey Perry (Active)
- Marc-Andre Fleury (Active)*
Incredibly, Crosby has had the opportunity to share the ice with some of the game's best players, including several 600-goal scorers, Norris Trophy winners, and multi-time Stanley Cup winners.
In addition, he's been on a lineup card with the NHL's second-leading scorer and the skater with the most games played in league history.
Although this list only scratches the surface of Crosby's outstanding achievements, it adds another layer to one of the most distinguished careers ever.
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