It was just a matter of time but Sidney Crosby made it official on Monday, April 1. And no, it’s not a joke for April Fool’s.
By scoring his 82nd point this season (37 goals, 45 assists) in the game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the New York Rangers played on the first day of the month, Crosby assembled his 19th consecutive season averaging at least one point per game.
Crosby is now tied, according to Pittsburgh’s PR department, with the greatest hockey player of all time, Wayne Gretzky, who also achieved it throughout his first 19 NHL seasons.
Crosby assisted Bryan Rust just 18 seconds into the opening frame for this first point on the day and 80th this year. He added a goal for his 81st a little over 10 minutes later, putting Pittsburgh up 2-0, and he tallied his 82nd point with an empty-net goal just 45 seconds before the final horn sounded.
The Penguins beat the NHL-best Rangers 5-2 in quite a surprising result considering Pittsburgh is on the outside of the playoffs looking in, and a few New York players were visibly upset and frustrated after the game.
“We’re irritated about this one,” Rangers’ defenseman Ryan Lindgren told reporters during the postgame media availability on April 1.
Sidney Crosby Building His Legacy as the Greatest Penguin Ever
Even though there are still eight games left in Pittsburgh’s schedule, Crosby has already reached the minimum figure needed to average a point per game this campaign, which spans 82 games through the regular season.
Following Monday’s record-tying win against New York, Crosby’s averaging 1.11 points per game in 2024. Even if he doesn’t score any more points from now on, he will still finish with a perfect 1.00 points-per-game average assuming he plays in all 82 Penguins games.
“Obviously something I didn’t want to talk about. I knew it was getting closer,” Crosby told reporters in his postgame press conference on April 1 when asked about matching Gretzky’s record. “Any time you can be in that company, it’s pretty cool.”
Bryan Rust, who opened the score for Pittsburgh, had some thoughts to share with reporters about Crosby’s record.
“He’s an extraordinary hockey player, an extraordinary person, Rust said, per Michelle Crechiolo of NHL.com. “Puts in the work each and every day.
“You can see why he’s been so good for so long.”
Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan wasn’t surprised by Crosby’s achievement in the slightest, which makes sense considering Pittsburgh’s captain’s impressive career.
“It doesn’t surprise me,” Mike Sullivan told reporters after the game. “All of these milestones that he’s reaching at this point are just more evidence that he’s one of the greatest players of all time.”
Believe It Or Not, There Is Much More to Come From Sidney Crosby
Even though it feels impossible to expand it, Crosby’s list of achievements and accolades shouldn’t stop growing any time soon. Yes, he’s already 36 years old and he will turn 37 next August, but he’s under contract for one more season after this one and has many milestones within arm’s reach.
Crosby only needs 3 more assists to reach 1,000 dimes through his career with eight games left for him to get there this season. Once he does that, he will become just the 14th player in NHL history to reach that figure.
The captain of the Penguins only has to score 3 more goals to reach 40 in 2024. If he achieves this, it will be the third time in his career that he has reached that number after doing so in 2010 and 2017, demonstrating his impressive longevity and consistency.
If he scores 13 more goals before he retires, Crosby's total career goals will be 600. Additionally, if he earns 16 more points this year in the final eight games of the regular season, he will reach 1,600.
Considering Crosby was the top pick in the 2005 NHL draft, has won three Stanley Cup titles with Pittsburgh, and has received several individual awards (including two Hart Memorial Trophy awards), there is no doubt that Crosby has already established a legacy and built a resume that few, if any, can match in the history of the sport.
