Without Sidney Crosby, the Pittsburgh Penguins wouldn't be anywhere near where they are now.

The Pittsburgh Penguins did something not many teams have been able to do over the past couple of seasons; they defeated the Boston Bruins.

Not only did the Penguins beat the Bruins, but they did also so in Boston, in regulation, and allowed them to crawl back from being down by three goals.

While it was an impressive team victory, it doesn’t happen without the efforts of their captain Sidney Crosby, who is in the midst of a special season.

Crosby was recently announced as the Penguins first representative as the 2023 All-Star Game, and for good reason.

He may not be leading the team in points, but he deserves to have his name in the discussion for the Hart Trophy for the NHL’s most valuable player.

Without Crosby in the lineup, the Penguins aren’t anywhere near the position they’re in now.

In 37 games, Crosby has scored 22 goals and 19 assists for 41 points and for a good chunk of the year was near the top of the NHL in even strength points.

“He does a lot of the little things that help us win,” head coach Mike Sullivan said. “Obviously, the offense speaks for itself… a lot of the little things he does on the defensive side, whether it’s winning face offs, or blocking a shot, or negating an icing.”

Beyond just the scoring stats, however, Crosby has been carrying much of the Penguins load to keep them in the race.

The Penguins have the highest face off percentage in the NHL at 55.6% and Crosby leads that charge with a 61.1% success rate.

Jeff Carter holds a 64.3% rate, but Crosby has taken nearly seven times the amount of face offs.

Crosby has been more than just a threat of offense this year, and at the age of 36, everyone recognizes his talent and understand just how crucial he’s been to the Penguins’ success.

“He’s the heartbeat of our team,” Sullivan said. “He’s the standard bearer and when the stakes are high, he’s at his best.”

The Penguins have played solid recently as a full team allowing Crosby to occasionally take the back seat, but there is no doubt his production has been irreplaceable to the Penguins this year.

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