CRANBERRY, Pa. -- Sidney Crosby didn’t expect this.
The 37-year-old center has repeatedly said his one dream was to make it to the NHL. That came on Oct. 5, 2005, debuting at the age of 18 for the Pittsburgh Penguins in a 5-1 loss at the New Jersey Devils.
As a kid, Crosby didn’t think of reaching milestones or setting records. There was no desire to sit among the greats.
And by no means did he wish to pass Wayne Gretzky in anything.
Now, Crosby is on the verge of doing just that. He has 74 points (24 goals, 50 assists) and, because he can play a maximum of 80 games, is six points from clinching a 20th season averaging at least a point per game, which would pass Gretzky (19 seasons) for the most in NHL history.
Crosby can creep closer when the Penguins host the Columbus Blue Jackets at PPG Paints Arena on Friday (7 p.m. ET; FDSNOH, SN-PIT, NHLN, SN, TVAS).
“Consistency and work ethic and passion ... it's a responsibility that you have to each other,” Crosby told NHL.com. “I think that consistency, it's always a work in progress. Every day is not perfect. There are times that are more difficult than others during the year. I always try to keep that in mind. But that doesn't mean you're not going to have bad days or days where you're not at your best, but you try not to let them bunch together.”
The good days continue to outweigh the bad. Crosby has eight points (five goals, three assists) in a five-game point streak; he scored to extend it in a 4-2 loss to the New York Islanders on Tuesday. It ended a four-game winning streak for Pittsburgh (28-32-10), seven points behind the Montreal Canadiens for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference.
In that defeat, the Penguins captain reached 1,670 NHL points, passing Gretzky (1,669 with the Edmonton Oilers) for the fourth-most with a single franchise. He trails Gordie Howe (1,809 points with the Detroit Red Wings), Steve Yzerman (1,755 with the Red Wings) and Mario Lemieux (1,723 with Pittsburgh).
It’s a collaborative effort, and Crosby would be the first to say as much. He has 616 goals, second among active players behind Alex Ovechkin (888) and second in Penguins history behind Lemieux (690), but isn’t defined by scoring.
A good shot is often turned down for a great pass; that's how it has always been.
It’s why Crosby has 1,054 assists, passing Lemieux (1,033) on Dec. 29 for the most in Pittsburgh history.
So when nearing a milestone, Crosby thinks of his linemates. Rickard Rakell and Bryan Rust are the current pair. Jake Guentzel, Chris Kunitz and Pascal Dupuis are some of the first to come to mind from the past.
“When you see the number of assists, you realize there's so many guys that have contributed to that,” Crosby said. “A number is a number. But when you talk about that experience or those years playing with different players and just what they brought, and just how much I appreciate those experiences, those friendships, working together every night to try to go out there and win hockey games, but also just the friendships and camaraderie, those kinds of things.
“I think it's just a real appreciation, when I think back to those times, a real appreciation for those guys, for their games, for teammates and what everybody brought."
Kris Letang is forever tied to Crosby. The defenseman is part of a core trio, formed when he and center Evgeni Malkin came in as rookies to join Crosby with the Penguins in 2006-07.
“The work and the dedication that he puts into his game, every single day that he comes to the rink, he wants to get better,” Letang said. “Whether it’s on the ice or off the ice, on video, he’s always going to try to find a way to try to improve his line, his team. The power play, whatever it is.”
There isn’t much Crosby hasn’t done. Since being selected No. 1 overall by Pittsburgh in the 2005 NHL Draft, he has won the Stanley Cup three times (2009, 2016, 2017) and was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as MVP of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2016 and 2017.
