Crosby praised by peers, coaches on verge of 500 goals with Penguins

Sidney Crosby is two goals shy of 500 in the NHL entering the Pittsburgh Penguins' game against the Washington Capitals at PPG Paints Arena on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET; ATTSN-PT, NBCSWA, ESPN+, NHL Live). Given his sense for the dramatic during his NHL career, reaching that milestone against his longtime rival, Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin, would be fitting.

"No one should be shocked if he does it in those circumstances," Minnesota Wild general manager Bill Guerin said with a laugh on Monday. "He's shown he always rises to the occasion in the big moments like this.
"When it comes to Sid, nothing surprises me."
Guerin spent his final two NHL seasons as Crosby's teammate with the Penguins from 2008-10 before joining their front office from 2011-2019.
"I didn't even know he was that close to 500 until you told me," Guerin said. "He does so many things well, you just assume that the records come and go."
With Crosby having scored 498 goals in 1,072 games, NHL.com elicited the help former teammates, opponents and others who know the Penguins captain well for a roundtable to discuss his closing in on another milestone.
Joining Guerin, who played on a line with Crosby, is Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan; former teammate Patric Hornqvist, now a forward with the Florida Panthers; former Penguins GM Jim Rutherford, now president of hockey operations with the Vancouver Canucks; Eddie Olczyk, his first coach with the Penguins in 2005; Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane; and Troy Crosby, his dad.
Crosby's bid to become the 46th player to score 500 goals began long before he entered the NHL. It started as a boy in Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia, when his unwavering dedication to improve his shot left the clothes dryer in the basement of his family home banged up and full of dents.
"The dryer was actually the backstop in case he missed the net he was shooting at," Troy Crosby said with a chuckle. "It was never meant to be hit but it's all about accuracy, right? It probably helped him improve.
"It was all worth it, for sure."
Here's what the panel thinks of the three-time Stanley Cup winner's pursuit of 500 goals:
What makes Sidney such an effective goal-scorer, especially since he seems to be known more for his playmaking and 865 assists?
Olczyk: "He might not have the hardest shot, but he has such a quick and incredible release. And he puts himself into scoring positions by seeing the game the way no one else does. His anticipation. I remember talking to him in practice about the benefits of shooting in stride. And he worked at it, watched video on it, anything to get better. That's Sid. And his hands are ridiculous. I'd venture to say he's scored probably 100 goals via redirects around the net. And I think he may have gotten another 75-90 on the backhand. I scored a few like that in my career, but not many use it."
Hornqvist: "His willingness to be around the net. You see the guys who score a lot of goals, they usually have great shots or something like that. Sid is obviously a good shooter, but I don't think anyone has more goals around the net than he's got. That's the determination to go there and be at the right spot. The puck always seems to find him on the side of net. He's been doing it for 15 years so, it's feeling and just outsmarting your defense."

Rutherford:"He's amazing what he does to prepare. He's the first guy on the ice every day, he works on his shot every day. But he also knows how to get to the open spots or go to the dirty areas where he can go to score in so many ways. He's got the shot, he's got the techniques to get open and he can score from bad angles. How many goals has he scored from behind the net, banking them in off the goalie, even off the goalie's mask. That's not by accident. It's all planned out by him."
Troy Crosby: "It's a combination of things. Obviously, he doesn't have the type of overpowering shot like an Auston Matthews, those kind of guys. Their shots are just powerful, even if the goalie gets a piece of it. But he's a student of the game and looking for different ways to score. Look at how many times he shoots from the goal line, trying to put pucks in from off their head or their back or their legs. He's always looked to find ways to score."
Kane: "I think when you talk about scoring, that could be maybe the second or third-best part of his game. He's what, 34 years old and he's closing in on 500 goals? It shows how good of a player he is. I think you've seen him score a lot of goals in a lot of different ways, obviously, but he's around the net, the hand-eye coordination, able to tip pucks anywhere around his feet or up in the air. He seems to be a guy who's always been very driven to be one of the best players or the best player in the world, and he's had an unbelievable career. So it's pretty crazy he's up at 500 already. It was a quiet 500, it seemed like. To be two away, I'm sure he'll reach it pretty soon, and it's an amazing milestone for him."
Sullivan: "He is the most driven athlete I've ever been around, irrespective of sports, not just hockey. He's so driven to be the best. And then he's willing to put the work in every day. He's the first guy on the ice, and there's always small aspects of his game where he'll identify that he needs to get better at and he's working on those little things every single day. He's grabbing the assistant coaches and feeding them pucks for one-timers or taking pucks off of his backhand. It never stops."
Aside from his Golden Goal at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics that won Canada the gold medal, which goal or goals stands out for you?
Guerin: "The first time I stepped on the ice with him he was getting pucks to me in ways anyone I'd ever played with could not have done. You always had to be ready. My first game with the Penguins I assisted on one of his goals. All I did was chip the puck out of our zone to him. Next thing you know he's at the other end beating two defensemen before scoring. I just gave him the puck and he did everything else."
Rutherford: "It was in overtime in Edmonton (Oct. 23, 2018). He came out of the corner, went through and/or past both defenseman and held onto the puck, held onto the puck, held onto the puck until it was time to put it high into the net. As good a goal as you'll see."

Sullivan: "I can't pick one, there are so many. Sid, in a lot of ways, his goal-scoring ability flies under the radar with respect to his game. I think everybody sees his playmaking ability, how he makes players around him better and elevates their game. But I think the fact that he's approaching this milestone just brings to the forefront how good of a goal scorer he actually is."
Troy Crosby: "One that comes to mind is Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Final against the Lightning in Tampa Bay (May 25, 2016). He scored the winning goal in that game to extend the series. If they win that game, our season is over. I also remember his shootout goal against Jose Theodore and the Canadiens in his rookie year (Nov. 10, 2005). He finished his deke by backhanding the puck into the top of the net and knocking the water bottle to the ice."
Given the elite level he continues to play at, how many goals can he score once his career is all said and done?
Guerin: "Don't bet against 600 or more. Like I said, nothing he does surprises me. He consistently scores 30 goals in a season, and those totals have gotten a lot of players paid over the years."
Rutherford: "You can't put a limit on it. He's the hardest worker out there every day. I will say this: It'll be enjoyable to watch."
NHL.com staff writers Amalie Benjamin and Tracey Myers contributed to this report