In his 18th season, the most in Penguins history, the 35-year old Crosby leads Pittsburgh with 91 points (33G-58A) with two games remaining. The captain is on pace to lead the team in scoring for the 13th time in his career, which is the most such seasons in team history.
Crosby, who became the sixth-fastest player in NHL history to record 1,500 career points on Saturday (1,188 GP), has averaged a point per game or higher (1.14 PTS/GP) for the 18th-straight season, trailing only Wayne Gretzky for the most seasons with a point per game or higher in league history.
With 30-plus goals for an 11th season, Crosby tied Lemieux for the most such seasons in franchise history and became the first NHL player to record a 30-goal season at age 18 and again at 35-plus. Nine of Crosby's 33 goals this season were game winners, tying his single-season career-high mark and increasing his franchise-leading total to 87.
The nine-time NHL All Star climbed the NHL's all-time points leaderboard this season, starting the season tied with Dale Hawerchuk (1,409) for 21st-place on the all-time list and now sits at 15thplace (1,500).
Crosby was also named one of the team's recipients of the Players' Player Award presented by UPMC, along with Kris Letang and Jason Zucker. This marks Crosby's fifth Players' Player Award, and Letang and Zucker's first. The Players' Player Award is voted on by the players for the player they feel exemplifies leadership for the team both on and off the ice, and who is dedicated to teamwork.
Letang, who became the third Penguin to play in 1,000 career games with the team on April 2, leads all team defensemen with 11 goals, 28 assists and 39 points this season. Despite missing 18 games this season due to injury, he is set to lead the Penguins in points by a defenseman for the 12th time in his 17-year career.
The 35-year old hit the 10-goal plateau for the ninth time in his career this season, becoming the third active defenseman to do so, and currently sits one point away from becoming the fourth active defenseman to have 10 40-point seasons. Letang set a new franchise record for the most overtime goals by a Penguins defenseman in one season (3), which is also the third most by a defenseman in NHL history.
Zucker, 31, is having his best season as a Pittsburgh Penguin, recording 27 goals, 21 assists and 48 points through 76 games. His 28 goals are the fourth most on the team, as he is one of six Penguins to hit the 20-goal mark this season. Zucker's 27 goals mark his highest goal total since his career year in 2017-18 with Minnesota when he scored a career-best 33 tallies.
Joseph, 23, is finishing up his first full season with the Penguins, recording career highs across the board with five goals, 16 assists and 21 points in 73 games. He ranks in the top-5 among all rookie defensemen in the NHL in goals (T-2nd), assists (4th) and points (4th), while his plus-8 ranks fifth among all rookie skaters. Joseph is just the 11th rookie defenseman in Penguins history to notch 20 or more points, and is the first to do so since John Marino (26) in 2019-20.
