The Pittsburgh Penguins captain said what stood out to him was how emotional many of the inductees got while standing at the podium and speaking to family members, friends and associates. The Hall of Fame Class of 2018 included Martin Brodeur, Martin St. Louis, Willie O'Ree, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, Alexander Yakushev and Jayna Hefford.
Crosby, a three-time Stanley Cup champion and two-time Conn Smythe Trophy winner, will likely be in a similar position as a public speaker during Hall of Fame weekend.
RELATED: [Highlights from Hockey Hall of Fame Class of 2018 speeches]
"So many people have helped, so many who were important and influential in their careers, so to kind of see it come full circle for those inductees and to see how that affects them and how much that means to them was special," Crosby said. "Any player can relate to that. If you ask any guy in this room, there's people in their lives who have influenced, but to try and sum it up in five or 10 minutes I'm sure isn't easy for them."
Crosby has also won the Hart Trophy twice (2007, 2014) and numerous other NHL postseason awards in his 13 NHL seasons. In addition, he's won two Olympic gold medals (2010, 2014) and a World Championship (2015), and was named MVP of the World Cup of Hockey 2016.
"I'm sure it's a pretty emotional weekend and obviously (the Hall of Famers) had great careers," Crosby said. "You can see how much they love the game ... that's the biggest thing. You also see how thankful they are for being inducted. You can tell for every single person, it means a lot to them."
Crosby has 1,133 points (419 goals, 714 assists) in 879 NHL games. He has 185 points (66 goals, 119 assists) in 160 Stanley Cup Playoff games.
The Penguins play the New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET; MSG, ATTSN-PT, NHL.TV).
