"I think he's the most complete player in the game," said Penguins Head Coach Mike Sullivan. "He has such a mature game on both sides of the puck - The combination of his ability to generate so much offense but also his willingness and commitment to defend, I think makes him, if not the most complete player, definitely in the top-2. If you look at his numbers, there isn't a better player in the league at 5-on-5 right now."
The numbers don't lie. Of Crosby's 43 points, 33 of them have come at even strength which leads the NHL. He also has scored 16 of his 19 goals at even strength. Only Colorado's Mikko Rantanen (19) and Dallas' Jason Robertson (18) have more such goals.
One of the biggest question marks heading into the season was if the Penguins were too old to keep up in today's NHL. Led by their leadership core of Crosby (35), Evgeni Malkin (36) and Kris Letang (35), the Penguins average age of 30.1 years old is the highest in the league.
Despite this number on paper, there appears to be no correlation to an average team's age and their performance in the standings. Pittsburgh, Boston and Tampa Bay all rank in the top-5 of average team age but also find themselves in the top-10 of the NHL standings, while the league's three youngest teams, Columbus, Buffalo and Detroit, find themselves 30th, 21st and 19th in the league.
For Sullivan, the recipe to building a successful team is not black and white. He believes it comes down to preparation as much as it does skill, and the Penguins' core of Crosby, Malkin and Letang set the standard when it comes to all aspects of the game.
"We understand how hard it is to win. We're getting a bit older, but we're not old, and there's a big difference," said Sullivan. "It's not by accident that these guys are as good as they are. They're willing to put the work in from a training, fitness and lifestyle standpoint to continue to play at a high level, and they've shown no signs of decline. Their appetite to win and willingness to put the work in is what sets them apart from everyone else."
What Crosby is consistently doing night in and night out as a 35-years old is nothing short of incredible. At his current pace, he's on track to join John Bucyk, Jean Ratelle, Gordie Howe, Wayne Gretzky and Joe Sakic as the only players in NHL history to have a 100-point season at 35 years old or older. His 1.30 points-per-game average after his 35th birthday is also second in NHL history behind Mario Lemieux (1.35).
Once again, Crosby has the Penguins in prime position to extend their record-setting playoff streak to 17 seasons. Over the last five full seasons dating back to 2015-16 (excluding 2019-20 and 20-20 campaigns), nearly 79% of teams that hold a playoff spot on December 25 have qualified for the postseason. Now, just a day before Christmas, Pittsburgh sits at third place in the Metropolitan Division with a 19-9-5 record and 43 points.
