Sidney Crosby has brought quite a lot to the Pittsburgh Penguins, but his personal stats are just as impressive.
The Pittsburgh Penguins wouldn’t be where they are today without the production and skill of Sidney Crosby.
Since drafting Crosby first overall in 2005, the Penguins have seen three more Stanley Cup banners get raised and 16 straight postseason appearances.
So much more than just team success, Crosby has slowly been climbing all-time lists for point production, and entering his 18th season the numbers keep rising.
Crosby notched three points in the Penguins 2022-23 season opener pushing him to 1,412 for his career, passing rival Alex Ovechkin (1,410) for most among active players.
Ovechkin has already played a pair of games in the 2022-23 season and has been held off the score sheet completely.
Both Crosby and Ovechkin have been seen as two of hockey’s best players for the better part of two decades, and the proof can be seen in the numbers.
Crosby has yet to go through a season under a point per game and Ovechkin is chasing down a goal scoring record that many thought was impossible to reach.
Despite regularly hovering around the same amount of career points, what makes Crosby’s numbers so much more impressive is the games played marks.
Ovechkin has had a distinct advantage in playing in 1,276 games to Crosby’s 1,109.
The two have traded the points lead a number of times over their careers, but this might be the season Crosby makes a full break with the title.
Joe Thornton adds a small wrinkle to Crosby’s lead; Thornton has more points than Crosby with 1,539, but is currently not signed to an NHL team.
While currently inactive, Thornton has yet to call it a career and could still be looking for a contract.
For as long as Thornton remains inactive, and possibly on the verge of retirement, Crosby holds sole possession for active point leaders.
Crosby's 1,412 points is also good for 20th on the all-time list, just two back of Doug Gilmour.
Watching Crosby and Ovechkin battle as two of the NHL’s best players has yet to get stale, even 18 years later.
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