Scoring two goals and assisting in a 5-2 win against the New York Rangers on Monday, Penguins captain Sidney Crosby reached 82 points and secured the 19th point-per-game season of his NHL career. This ties him with Wayne Gretzky for the most such seasons in league history.
Here are some notes and numbers about Crosby’s record-matching achievement:
Great company
Crosby and Gretzky are two of eight NHL players to achieve at least 15 point-per-game seasons in their careers. Gordie Howe, who played 26 seasons in the NHL, holds the third-highest record with 17. Mario Lemieux, Ron Francis, Marcel Dionne, Mark Messier, and Joe Sakic each had 15 point-per-game seasons.
Closest instance
Crosby has surpassed the point-per-game mark in all 19 of his NHL seasons, and there has not been a really close call. His lowest point-per-game total was 1.06 in 2015-16 when he scored 36 goals and 85 points in 80 games. However, it's hard to consider it a bad year. His goal total was the fourth-highest of his career, and the Penguins went on to win the Stanley Cup.
Disruptions
While Crosby and Gretzky share 19 point-per-game seasons, Gretzky had 17 80-point seasons compared to only 13 for Crosby. This stat highlights how frequently Crosby has had disrupted seasons during his career – not only due to injuries, like many players experience, but also due to other factors. The NHL season was shortened to 48 games by a lockout in 2012-13 and to 69 games in 2019-20 and 56 games in 2020-21 due to the covid pandemic.
Lucky 13
Crosby’s 13 80-point seasons are tied for second-highest in NHL history with Messier, Dionne, and Dale Hawerchuk.
In a class by himself
Gretzky had a 20th point-per-game season as a professional, but it did not occur in the NHL. In his rookie year in 1978-79, he tallied 110 points in 80 games in a season split between Indianapolis and Edmonton in the WHA.
Challenging road ahead
If history is any indication, it will only become more difficult for Crosby, 36, to maintain his point-per-game streak. Gretzky had only one NHL season where he didn’t average a point per game – his final one. He amassed 62 points in 70 games with the Rangers at age 38 in 1989-99. Lemieux had a similar experience. He averaged at least a point per game for his first 15 seasons before scoring nine points in 10 games in 2003-04 and 22 points in 26 games in 2005-06 as his career neared its end. He retired at age 40.
Speaking
“I’m not going to dwell on it too much. We have a game tomorrow. But when you think about all the different years, the different challenges, think about all the guys that I played with and how big of a part they played, it’s cool. It’s not something you think about a lot, but when it comes up, you want to achieve it, and it’s enjoyable to share it.” – Crosby on the SportsNet Pittsburgh postgame show
Up next
With eight games remaining in the regular season, Crosby has a strong chance to achieve two more milestones this season. With three more, he can become the 14th player in NHL history to record 1,000 assists. With six more points, Crosby (1,584 points) can tie Phil Esposito (1,590) and enter the top 10 of the NHL’s all-time scoring list.
The large figure
As Crosby’s career comes to an end, the important number might be 1,723 – Lemieux’s all-time Penguins scoring record. Crosby is 139 points away.
