Sidney Crosby added to his lengthy list of accomplishments as the Pittsburgh Penguins captain registered his 1,000th career NHL point.
The 29-year-old picked up the milestone point Thursday with an assist against the Winnipeg Jets.
No. 87 becomes the 86th player in NHL history to reach the milestone and the third player this season to hit the mark. Alex Ovechkin and Henrik Sedin both crossed the 1,000-point barrier in January. Other active players in the exclusive club are Jaromir Jagr (1,900), Joe Thornton (1,379), Jarome Iginla (1,288), Marian Hossa (1,123) and Patrick Marleau (1,069).
Crosby, to no one’s surprise, was recently named one of the top 100 players in NHL history.
“I’ve really grown to admire Sid in his daily endeavours,” Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan recently told NHL.com. “He’s a relentless worker. For a guy that’s as talented as he is, he has such an insatiable appetite to be the best. He’s working on parts of his game every single day to make sure that he’s at his best and he helps this team win. [Reaching the 1,000-point] milestone in his personal career is a testament to the player and the person that he is.”
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“He’s been the best player in the world for 12 years now, he’s been doing it forever,” Colorado Avalanche star Nathan MacKinnon, a close friend of Crosby’s, told NHL.com. “He’s had an unbelievable career, definitely one of the best players ever to play. He’s like a grinder almost. He goes in the corners, he battles hard. That’s what makes him so good. He can play any style of game.”
Getting to 1,000 points is an impressive feat full stop, but the fact Crosby accomplished it in just 757 games highlights what a special player he is. Only 11 players in NHL history reached 1,000 points in fewer games than Crosby did and only 10 at a younger age.
| NAME | AGE (YEARS, DAYS) |
|---|---|
| WAYNE GRETZKY | 23.328 |
| MARIO LEMIEUX | 26.171 |
| STEVE YZERMAN | 27.291 |
| DALE HAWERCHUK | 27.338 |
| BRYAN TROTTIER | 28.196 |
| JAROMIR JAGR | 28.319 |
| MIKE BOSSY | 29.002 |
| DENIS SAVARD | 29.035 |
| MARCEL DIONNE | 29.157 |
| GUY LAFLEUR | 29.165 |
| SIDNEY CROSBY | 29.193 |
| PAUL COFFEY | 29.204 |
Wayne Gretzky holds the record for quickest to 1,000 points at 424 games, which is an unfathomable accomplishment by today’s standards. Mario Lemieux is second at 513 games.
“His offensive game is obvious to everyone but what we really appreciate about Sid is just his 200-foot game,” Sullivan told reporters Friday. “We use him in so many different capacities but offensively, he’s just so multi-faceted that he can beat you in so many different ways. He plays a speed game, he can play a finesse game, he can beat you off the rush, he can beat you with a grind game down low because he’s so strong on the puck. He can generate offence so many ways and I think that’s what separates him from others.”
The next closest active players with a chance at gaining 1,000 career points within the next season or two are Daniel Sedin (973) and Shane Doan (964).
“I don’t really think about numbers a whole lot,” a humble Crosby said. “Then when you get close to them, you want to get them and get them over with, and move on…I think that I’ve been fortunate to play on some good teams. You want to be consistent as a player. I think, in that respect, I’m happy about that. But I think that I’ve been fortunate to play with some great players too.”
