Crosby Passes Lemieux to Become Penguins' All-Time Points Leader

Sidney Crosby grew up a Canadiens fan, as his dad, Troy, was drafted by Montreal in the 12th round of the 1984 NHL Draft, held at the old Forum in Quebec... the same day that Mario Lemieux went first overall to Pittsburgh.

Lemieux crafted an impenetrable legacy with the Penguins, saving the franchise multiple times and bringing Stanley Cups to the City of Champions. Crosby grew up watching and idolizing Lemieux before getting taken first overall by the Penguins, 21 years after No. 66.

Now, 21 years after that, Crosby has passed Lemieux to become the franchise’s all-time points leader with 1,724 – in a game against the Canadiens, in front of the Penguins faithful that made him feel at home from the beginning.

“It’s really special,” Crosby said. “You know, to be here as long as I have been, so many guys have contributed to that, so many different teams and groups. I obviously have a ton of respect for Mario and everything that he’s done for this team, and for hockey in general. It’s pretty special.”

It’s a record that seemed unbreakable. And as Crosby joked after Pittsburgh’s 4-3 shootout win, Lemieux will always remain at the top of his list.

“I don’t think you can put a stat line or a number on what he means to this team and to hockey. In my mind, he’s still No. 1,” Crosby said with a smile.

But if Lemieux was going to pass the torch to anyone, there is nobody better than Crosby. You couldn’t mold out of clay a better representative for the Penguins and for Lemieux and his legacy. They are both consummate leaders and ambassadors, held in the highest regard across the hockey world, and beloved in Pittsburgh.

“Mario probably saved hockey on a number of times in Pittsburgh, and getting Sid, it was just another Mario, but Sid,” said Mark Recchi, part of a select group who played with both Lemieux and Crosby (story to come). “We’ve been very fortunate. To have that in a city and to have two players like that, people dream about that, organizations dream about that. It’s something pretty incredible.”

With the NHL holding a draft lottery coming out of the 2004-05 work stoppage, the Nova Scotia native had no real idea what city would become home. He thought there was a chance he could go to Montreal, but also said that looking at the list, Pittsburgh was a team he was excited about.

“You’re looking at how young the team is going to be, obviously Mario being here... It was a team I was excited about,” Crosby said. “There’s so many different results it can have. When it ended up being Pittsburgh, I was so happy.”

On that July day, Lemieux was at the doctor’s office with his daughters Stephanie and Lauren for a check-up at 3:30 PM. The draft lottery was set for 4 PM.

“I was in the waiting room, waiting for the girls to go in, and they didn’t have a TV,” Lemieux said. “So, my phone started to blow up at 4 o’ clock trying to give me the news, but I couldn’t pick up my phone. So, after we got out, I looked at my phone and I knew that we had won the lottery, and that was incredible. I didn’t think we had a chance.”

There was a lot going on behind the scenes with the team, primarily their financial issues, which sparked rumors of the Penguins leaving Pittsburgh. While Crosby was aware of the situation at the time, looking back, he didn’t fully grasp the true significance of what was unfolding.

But in the big picture, Lemieux said it changed everything for the Penguins to get a player like Crosby.

“It really changed the outlook of the franchise,” Lemieux said. “Gave us an opportunity to go out and get a new arena. The fanbase came back. We were struggling for a couple of years. We didn’t have very good teams. Having a chance to win the lottery changed everything for this franchise. I still think we would have a team here, even though we wouldn’t have Sid, but it wouldn’t be the same.”

Crosby still marvels about what his first day in the city was like.

“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. Anyone who knows me knows what the city means to me and how special it is.”

Crosby has accomplished so much in black and gold over the last two-plus decades – on the ice, around the community, and with the way he treats everyone with respect and thoughtfulness. He has battled through so much, particularly concussion and neck issues that sidelined Crosby for 61 consecutive games between the 2010-11 and '11-12 seasons. And tonight, the fans gave their captain the reception he deserved.

The crowd at PPG Paints Arena was thunderous when Crosby tied Lemieux with his 20^th goal of the season just under eight minutes into the game. And when he earned the secondary assist on Rickard Rakell’s goal a few minutes later, the fans immediately got to their feet and gave him a well-deserved ovation.

During the next TV timeout, a tribute video played, followed by a congratulatory message from Lemieux, and a hush fell over the arena as everyone wanted to hear what the big guy had to say. Crosby then acknowledged the crowd as the cheering resumed.

“It's really special. You're trying to stay in the game, but also, just try to enjoy the moment, too,” Crosby said. “It’s hard to balance that sometimes, especially as you get older. You tend to look at things a little bit differently.

“Seeing the crowd go quiet when Mario's message came on, that was pretty special. If you don't understand the impact he's had here, and you were here tonight, I think you understand a little bit better now, given just how quiet it got. And I think if there was any example of respect, I think it was that there. It was really cool to see that.”

As Crosby’s career has gone on, especially lately, it feels like there are constantly new milestones as he moves higher up different all-time lists. But any time Crosby is linked with Lemieux, especially with the Penguins, it’s just different.

“He is the Pittsburgh Penguins; him and Mario,” said Bryan Rust, Crosby’s longtime linemate who factored in on the historic goal. “I think now, he's obviously got more points, but I think those two are at the top. Everything they mean to the organization, the NHL, the city, everybody who's been a part of it, and you can tell that it means so much to him. And for us to be able to get the win on a night where we celebrate that was huge.”

It's hard for Crosby to put into words the impact that Lemieux has had on him as a player and person. Lemieux completely embraced Crosby from the beginning, with Mario and his wife Nathalie inviting the 18-year-old rookie to live at their Sewickley home. Crosby quickly became part of the family alongside the four Lemieux children.

“You know, that probably means more than anything, honestly,” Crosby said. “For me coming in, you could get drafted anywhere. For it to work out the way it has and be here as long as I have and have that relationship... having the opportunity to live with him and have a friendship with him... I think that's something that's pretty special.”