Penguins' Sidney Crosby Chasing Hall of Famer's Record
The Pittsburgh Penguins are celebrating their captain Sidney Crosby's 37th birthday as he prepares for his 20th NHL season. One of the league's greatest players ever is still one of the best players in the NHL, coming off of his 19th straight season scoring at least a point per game.
Entering his age-37 season, Crosby is poised to again enter rare company with another historic season. The 10th highest scorer in NHL history has a chance to put up the most points in a season by a 37 year old if he plays the way he dd last year.
Joe Sakic currently holds the record for most points recorded in a season by a 37 year old. The Hall of Fame center and long time captain of the Colorado Avalance registered 100 points over 82 games during the 2006-2007 season. He led the Avalanche in scoring that season, as the organization was slowly transitioning into a rebuild. Sound familiar to any other 37 year old superstars?
Rounding out the top five behind him are fellow Hall of Famers Johnny Bucyk, Mario Lemieux, Wayne Gretzky, and Jean Ratelle.
Last season, Crosby was a dynamic offensive player. His playmaking was his usual level of excellent, despite losing his long-time running mate Jake Guentzel midway through the season. He also stepped up his goal scoring, recording his first 40 goal season since the 2016-2017 season. It wasn't a Rocket Richard winning campaign from Crosby, but he showed that he is still at the top of his game.
With a worrisome group of players behind him, the pressure is on Crosby again to deliver offensively. He's more than capable of doing so, and it's putting him in prime position to step into the top five of this list. Doing so would mean Crosby surpassed Hall of Famers Johnny Bucyk, Mario Lemieux, Wayne Gretzky, and Jean Ratelle. Not only that, Sid could surpass Sakic's record of 100 points and add another accomplishment to his historic career.