Crazy Stat Puts Sidney Crosby’s Dominance in Perspective

Sidney Crosby has been an unstoppable force for 20 years with the Pittsburgh Penguins, and this stat only adds to his legacy.
Mar 11, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA;  Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (87) smiles on the ice against the Vegas Golden Knights during the third period at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Mar 11, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (87) smiles on the ice against the Vegas Golden Knights during the third period at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
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For going on 21 seasons, the Pittsburgh Penguins have had one of the best players in the game of hockey in their lineup. Sidney Crosby was drafted by the Penguins first overall in 2005, and ever since then he has over-delivered on expectations. With three Stanley Cup championships, two MVP wins and 20 straight point-per-game seasons, Crosby is sure to go down as one of the greatest players of all time.

To celebrate his 39th birthday, the Penguins PR team tweeted a state that really shows the extent of Crosby’s domination in hockey. Since the day Crosby was born on August 7, 1987, only one player has recorded more points than Crosby: hockey legend Jaromir Jagr.

To really put this stat into perspective, Crosby didn’t start his NHL career until 2005. Jagr started his career in 1991, notching 1,921 points over his career.

Since making his NHL debut, Crosby has posted 625 goals and 1,062 assists for 1,687 total points. Sure, no one has recorded more points than him since making it to the NHL, but he surpassed 18 years of a head start from some of the league’s all time greats.

Just behind Crosby is Colorado Avalanche icon Joe Sakic, who picked up 1,641 points in his career.

Fellow future Hall of Famer and all-time leading goal scorer Alex Ovechkin follows Sakic with 1,623 total points.

Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin
Nov 8, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (87) and Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) shake hands after a puck drop ceremony prior to their game at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images / Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Crosby still has time left in his NHL career and is already ninth all-time in points. He is 36 points back of the all-time points lead in Penguins history, trailing only Mario Lemieux with 1,723.

Lemieux played exactly 700 games in his NHL career after Crosby’s birth and picked up 1,375 points in that time. While that is a dominating pace, Crosby surpassed that number during the 2021-22 season.

It likely won’t take Crosby long to officially overtake Lemieux as the most productive player in Penguins’ franchise history. With just 36 points to catch Lemieux, it’s possible the Penguins have a new all-time points leader before the NHL’s holiday break.

Crosby has been the face of the Penguins organization and often times the face of the NHL since his draft in 2005. There are no signs of slowing down and even at the age of 38 he is still expected to do unbelievable things on a sheet of ice.

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Nick Horwat
NICK HORWAT

Nick Horwat is a contributor with Breakaway On SI. He was previously a credentialed reporter for The Hockey News covering the Pittsburgh Penguins. A Pittsburgh native, Nick graduated from Point Park University and started reporting on news and sports with KDKA Radio and 93.7 The Fan. After hosting a Penguins talk radio show in college, he morphed the show into a podcast. The Tip of the Ice-Burgh Podcast has been a leading Penguins podcast since 2019. Follow him on Twitter @NickHorwat41.