Crosby moves into 10th on NHL all-time points list

PITTSBURGH —Sidney Crosby made NHL history twice Thursday night.

He scored a goal and two assists for the Pittsburgh Penguins in a 6-5 overtime victory over the Detroit Red Wings at PPG Paints Arena. In doing so, Crosby took sole possession of 10th place on the all-time scoring list while also becoming the 14th player to record at least 1,000 assists.

“That’s cool,” Crosby said, acknowledging he was unaware which players he joined in the top 10.

“I haven’t looked that closely. But to be in that company with all of those players…that means a lot.”

With an assist on defenseman Erik Karlsson’s overtime goal, Crosby supplanted Phil Esposito for 10th place among all-time scorers with 1,591 points. He had matched Esposito with a goal in the second period.

Sidney Crosby nets his 1,590th career point, tying with Phil Esposito for 10th on the NHL’s all-time list ????

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— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) April 12, 2024

No player had moved into the top 10 in scoring since Jaromir Jagr did so with the New York Rangers in 2008.

Crosby is one of only 10 players to score at least 500 goals and record 1,000 assists.

How rare is the company Crosby keeps?

Only 10 players have scored as many points as Crosby. And he’s the only current player in the top 10 of scoring, though his longtime rival with the Washington Capitals, Alex Ovechkin, projects to join the club next season.

The top 10 includes a who’s who of NHL superstars, including Wayne Gretzky, Jagr, Mark Messier and Gordie Howe at 1-4. Crosby’s boyhood idol, Steve Yzerman, is seventh with 1,771 points. Crosby’s former teammate and one-time Penguins owner, Mario Lemieux, is eighth with 1,723 points.

Lemieux is the Penguins’ all-time scoring leader.

Where is Crosby likely to finish among all-time scorers?

With 41 goals and 88 points, Crosby is assured of matching Gretzky’s all-time mark of 19 consecutive seasons averaging at least a point per game. He has averaged 1.15 points per game over the past four seasons. At that rate, Crosby would move into sole possession of ninth place — comfortably supplanting Joe Sakic, who scored 1,641 points — by the end of next season.

Crosby, 36, is eligible to sign a contract extension with the Penguins on July 1. The Penguins have prioritized that extension, and Crosby has repeatedly stated publicly he intends only to play for Pittsburgh.

Assuming nothing goes sideways, Crosby would likely be in a position to pass Lemieux and Yzerman and possibly even Marcel Dionne to become the NHL’s sixth-leading scorer during the 2025-26 seasons, clearing a path to break into the top 5 in 2026-27.

NHL all-time scoring leaders


Wayne Gretzky
Jaromir Jagr
Mark Messier
Gordie Howe
Marcel Dionne
Steve Yzerman
Mario Lemieux

Phil Esposito, Sidney Crosby

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