Penguins Star Voted NHL's Most Complete Player
The Pittsburgh Penguins captain continues to receive high claims as one of the NHL's best players.
PITTSBURGH – Even in his 19th season in the NHL, Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby is still one of the best players in the game. Crosby’s peers agree with that statement, as he finished with some high honors in the annual NHLPA Player Poll.
According to NHLPA members, Crosby was voted the league’s most complete player with 38.37% of the vote. This is his fifth consecutive season winning this vote, and he saw an 8.27% increase since last year’s victory.
In 78 games played this year, Crosby has notched 40 goals and 46 assists for 86 total points, securing his 19th consecutive point per game season. Crosby beat out Aleksander Barkov, who finished second with 14.6% of the vote.
However, Crosby wasn’t done with being the most complete player, as he finished second in multiple other categories.
If you need to win one game, who is the forward you want on your team? Crosby picked up 11.58% of the vote to finish second behind Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid. In his third straight season with more than 120 points, McDavid picked up 48.71% of the vote.
If you need to win a faceoff, who would you pick? Crosby again finished second, but only by a little. Nashville Predators center Ryan O’Reilly finished first with 14.49% of the vote, while Crosby was five votes behind at 13.58%.
Crosby’s faceoff work has always been stellar, but this year is a new level. With four games remaining, Crosby’s faceoff percentage sits at 58.5%, the highest mark since they started recording the stat in 2007.
The Penguins are in a tight race for the playoffs, and a lot will depend on one of the NHLPA’s favorite players to get them in the run.
Make sure you bookmark Inside the Penguins for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more.
- Subscribe to Inside the Penguins on YouTube
- Follow Inside the Penguins on Twitter: @InsidePenguins