Quick, what do Sidney Crosby, Phil Kessel, Olli Maatta and Jake Guentzel have in common?
If you guessed that they were the only Penguins to appear in all 82 regular-season games this season, give yourself a hand. The quartet appeared in their 82nd game of the 2017-18 season in Friday night's 4-0 win over the Senators at PPG Paints Arena.
Given the ages, sizes and/or injury history with each, it’s a fairly noteworthy accomplishment.
“I think it's an indication of their fitness level,” Mike Sullivan said in his meeting with reporters before faceoff. “They really take care of themselves. They pride themselves on controlling everything they can control to be in the best possible condition to endure the rigors of the schedule. This is a hard league. It can be a grind.”
TAP ABOVE FOR BOXSCORE, STANDINGSIt's also not the NBA, where superstars often sit out during the stretch run. That sort of thing is frowned upon in hockey.
By earning two points, the Penguins locked up second place in the Metropolitan Division and will have home ice in the first round. Their opponent won’t be known until the end of Saturday’s games -- it will be either the Blue Jackets, Devils or Flyers -- but the Penguins didn't treat game No. 82 any differently than games No. 1-81.
Crosby, 30, who took a hard slash to the arm in Thursday night’s OT win at Columbus, played every game in an 82-game schedule for the first time in his Hall of Fame career. That was something he didn't even know about.
"Really? Geez," Crosby said. "Had 81 a couple times, right? I must have just gave them to myself as 82s. No, it's good. There's some years there where it was hard to get 80 or 81. I think it's great to play in all of them. You never want to miss time. Certainly with the time I've missed over the years, it's good to get a full one in."
Kessel, 30, who scored two goals, three points against the Blue Jackets, will extend his consecutive games played streak to 692, despite playing through in recent weeks what appears to be an upper body injury of some sort.
Maatta is just 23 but his star-crossed five-year career has been plagued by injuries and even a cancer scare in his second season. The most games he’d played in a previous season was 78, his rookie year in 2013-14.
Guentzel, 23, is completing his first full NHL season but has proved remarkably durable despite his size, 5-foot-11 and 180 pounds.
"I thank the training staff," he said. "It's kind of cool to get in all 82."