Crosby Passes Lemieux for Most Total Points in Penguins History

On Tuesday against Vancouver, No. 87 moved ahead of No. 66 for a momentous milestone.

Sidney Crosby (1,896) passed Mario Lemieux (1,895) for the most total points (regular-season and playoffs) in Penguins history.

“It took me 500 more games,” Crosby told Dan Potash with a laugh during the postgame on-ice interview. “It means I’ve been around for a long time, and numbers are numbers. But the memories and everything that’s been a part of the last 21 years has been pretty special, so I appreciate that.”

He later added, "Been here for a long time and been fortunate to play with some great players. That’s how I look at it."

Crosby is one of just five players in NHL history to spend their entire career with one team spanning a minimum of 21 seasons joining Alex Delvecchio (24), Stan Mikita (22), Steve Yzerman (22), and Alex Ovechkin (21). He is also the longest-tenured captain in NHL history at 19 seasons.

During season ticket delivery ahead of training camp, Crosby was asked if he could express what Pittsburgh means to him. While he often says questions of that nature are difficult to express in one soundbite, Crosby did his best.

“I talk about the first day, and you think about first impressions – I didn't know a lot about Pittsburgh prior to being drafted, and I showed up at the airport and could barely move,” Crosby said.

“The support that I felt from day one, the relationships that I formed here, the memories, the teammates, the fans... I mean, you go down the list. I'm so grateful and thankful that I've had the opportunity to play here as long as I have. And I think anyone who knows me knows what the city means to me and how special it is.”

Lemieux actually drove by while Crosby was visiting fans at their homes in Sewickley. That’s where Lemieux famously opened up his home to Crosby when he was just an 18-year-old rookie to help make everything easier. The impact Lemieux has had on Crosby is also difficult for him to articulate, and he gave quite an answer.

“Coming in, there's so many new things and the expectations and everything that comes with it as a young player,” Crosby said. “So, having someone like Mario and his family there to just keep things as normal as possible, to be there for anything that I needed, any questions I had, just to keep things as normal as they could possibly be given the situation... and then be able to learn from someone like him, who's been through so much and played at the level that he did and went through the adversity that he did... and just his family as a whole, is so important.

“So yeah, I don't know if I can put into words how much it means, but it's meant a lot, and I really cherish that. That relationship and his family and everything that they've done for me.”

They have remained close in the two-plus decades since, with Lemieux recently stopping by the locker room following Pittsburgh’s win over the Islanders in the home opener on Oct. 11.

“I love seeing him around. I know how much he enjoys going to games and then being a part of it, too,” Crosby said. “So yeah, any chance that we get to have him around is always special.”

Crosby’s goal tonight was his fourth in the first seven games, and he was briefly tied with newcomer Justin Brazeau for the team lead before the big forward got his fifth.

“I didn’t want him to have that special of a night, so I had to take that back,” Brazeau joked.

Still, it’s both absolutely incredible, and not surprising whatsoever, that Crosby is still dominating at age 38. With 1,694 points, he is close to becoming the ninth player in NHL history to reach 1,700, and is getting close to Lemieux’s all-time point total of 1,723.

“Just got to keep it going,” said longtime teammate Kris Letang, who recorded his 600^th assist (feature coming on Wednesday).

“When you’re at that age, and you play at this level still, you’re going to catch those big names on the board. Well, now there’s nothing more to beat on our team, pretty much. But that’s the type of player that he is. He’s always looking to be better and thrive even more.”