Sidney Crosby shoots the puck in Sunday's win over the Panthers at PPG Paints Arena.
Sidney Crosby shook his head and had a long exhale when asked after the Penguins' 5-2 win over the Panthers on Sunday about clinching his 21st season with at least a point-per-game, extending the record that he set last season when he passed Wayne Gretzky's 19 such seasons.
The streak-extending point was his goal that put the Penguins up 2-1 in the first period, finishing an Egor Chinakhov feed:
— SportsNet Pittsburgh (@SNPittsburgh) April 5, 2026
He couldn't have seemed less interested in talking about the remarkable personal achievement. He didn't quite see it as a personal achievement at all.
"I don't know," he said. "It's a stat, I think, that speaks to the teams that we've had, players I've had the opportunity to play with. I think that's a big part of it."
Sure. Crosby's been on some good Penguins teams. He's also been on some non-playoff teams the last few years and still continues this production, even as he gets into his late 30s. It's great evidence of his consistency. Don't tell him that, though.
Some personal milestones are a little more meaningful to Crosby, though, and the one he hit in Saturday's win was one of them. He moved into seventh all-time on the league's all-time scoring list, tying and then surpassing Steve Yzerman's 1,755 points.
I asked him about what that one meant, and he even managed to crack a smile over it.
"Yeah, that's special," he said. "Growing up watching him and admiring his game and just his character, you don't ever think that far ahead, or think you're going to be in the same company. So, yeah, that one that was pretty special."
Crosby frequently names Peter Forsberg, Mario Lemieux and Yzerman as his favorite players at various points of his childhood. But he's always been pretty clear that Yzerman was his No. 1.
Crosby's youth team in Cole Harbour was called the Cole Harbour Wings, and they used the Red Wings' colors and logo. So as a young kid, Crosby was drawn to a player he saw as playing for the same team. But as he grew older, he really appreciated Yzerman's game.
"I loved the way that he played both sides of the puck," Crosby said. "He's a guy that always scored big goals in the playoffs, and I liked the way he approached his leadership and things like that. There's a lot to like about him."
Crosby seemingly hits milestones every other week. He might even hit more this season -- he's three goals from tying Brendan Shanahan for the 14th-most in NHL history, and six assists from tying Joe Thornton for the seventh-most.
Whenever Crosby hits those marks, he'll surely seem wholly uninterested in having to talk about them. As always, he's more focused on the team's success. He'll take a playoff run over a personal milestone any day.
THE ASYLUM
Crosby hits 21st point-per-game season
JOE SARGENT / GETTY
Sidney Crosby shoots the puck in Sunday's win over the Panthers at PPG Paints Arena.
Sidney Crosby shook his head and had a long exhale when asked after the Penguins' 5-2 win over the Panthers on Sunday about clinching his 21st season with at least a point-per-game, extending the record that he set last season when he passed Wayne Gretzky's 19 such seasons.
The streak-extending point was his goal that put the Penguins up 2-1 in the first period, finishing an Egor Chinakhov feed:
He couldn't have seemed less interested in talking about the remarkable personal achievement. He didn't quite see it as a personal achievement at all.
"I don't know," he said. "It's a stat, I think, that speaks to the teams that we've had, players I've had the opportunity to play with. I think that's a big part of it."
Sure. Crosby's been on some good Penguins teams. He's also been on some non-playoff teams the last few years and still continues this production, even as he gets into his late 30s. It's great evidence of his consistency. Don't tell him that, though.
Some personal milestones are a little more meaningful to Crosby, though, and the one he hit in Saturday's win was one of them. He moved into seventh all-time on the league's all-time scoring list, tying and then surpassing Steve Yzerman's 1,755 points.
I asked him about what that one meant, and he even managed to crack a smile over it.
"Yeah, that's special," he said. "Growing up watching him and admiring his game and just his character, you don't ever think that far ahead, or think you're going to be in the same company. So, yeah, that one that was pretty special."
Crosby frequently names Peter Forsberg, Mario Lemieux and Yzerman as his favorite players at various points of his childhood. But he's always been pretty clear that Yzerman was his No. 1.
Crosby's youth team in Cole Harbour was called the Cole Harbour Wings, and they used the Red Wings' colors and logo. So as a young kid, Crosby was drawn to a player he saw as playing for the same team. But as he grew older, he really appreciated Yzerman's game.
"I loved the way that he played both sides of the puck," Crosby said. "He's a guy that always scored big goals in the playoffs, and I liked the way he approached his leadership and things like that. There's a lot to like about him."
Crosby seemingly hits milestones every other week. He might even hit more this season -- he's three goals from tying Brendan Shanahan for the 14th-most in NHL history, and six assists from tying Joe Thornton for the seventh-most.
Whenever Crosby hits those marks, he'll surely seem wholly uninterested in having to talk about them. As always, he's more focused on the team's success. He'll take a playoff run over a personal milestone any day.
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