Sidney Crosby Ties Wayne Gretzky Record

Not Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr, or even Gordie Howe has achieved the feat that Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby accomplished Monday night. Until now, there’s been only one player in NHL history who has averaged at least a point per game for 19 seasons.

That player was the unquestioned scoring king and consensus greatest player ever, Wayne Gretzky.

Crosby, 36, scored three points in a resounding 5-2 win over the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden Monday. The empty net goal was his 82nd point, guaranteeing a point per game this season.

Crosby earned the primary assist on Bryan Rust’s goal just 18 seconds into the game. He neatly deflected P.O Joseph’s shot at 10:39 of the first period. And then the empty netter.

Crosby spoke with our Dave Molinari a couple of weeks ago about the record. He uncharacteristically acknowledged it and his the honor of equaling Gretzky. (Must Read: This Feat Would be a Great One for Crosby).

It’s been a disappointing season for the Penguins. New president of hockey operations/GM Kyle Dubas went all-in last summer, acquiring reigning Norris Trophy-winning defenseman Erik Karlsson the day before Crosby’s 36th birthday. Still, the team has struggled to keep pace in the playoff race and traded away Crosby’s most prolific linemate ever, Jake Guentzel, just before the NHL trade deadline.

However, after their win, they trail the Philadelphia Flyers by six points with two games in hand for third place in the Metro. They trail the Washington Capitals by five points but have played one more game. The Penguins and Capitals face off on Thursday at Capital One Arena.

The NHL betting has been all over the board on the Penguins, who are still a 28-1 shot to win the Stanley Cup.

Crosby has been the Penguins’ best player this season. By notching his 12th 30-goal season, he’s also set a Penguins franchise record for most 30-goal seasons. It’s also the 13th time Crosby has scored more than 80 points, becoming just the fifth player to reach that mark 13 or more times too.

After a pair of tallies Monday, he now has 37 goals this season and is on pace to join another elite group of scorers who netted 40 goals at 36 years or older, including Alex Ovechkin and Teemu Selanne. If Crosby can hit 40, he’ll become just the sixth player to hit the mark at his age. He’s already scored the seventh most goals in a season by a player over 36.

The accolades and records won’t stop anytime soon.

Crosby has played 1264 career games, scoring 587 goals and 1584 points. Crosby is the all-time leading active scorer and trails Phil Esposito by six points for 10th in NHL history.

Player                          Point-Per-Game Seasons

Sidney Crosby          19

Wayne Gretzky        19

Gordie Howe                17

Evgeni Malkin              15

Mario Lemieux            15

Mark Messier              15

Marcel Dionne            15

Joe Sakic                      15

Ron Francis                 15