All of us knew that Sidney Crosby would be Hall-of-Fame material by the time he was in his mid-20s. But during the past two seasons, he’s added much to his accomplishments, like winning two Stanley Cup titles, two Conn Smythe trophies, one Rocket Richard trophy, one World Cup title, and a World Cup MVP award.
A couple of years ago, it was good to expect that Sidney Crosby would finish his career as a Top 10 all-time player in the sport. But with what he’s accomplished in the last two years, we’re talking Top 5 already. And given that he is only 30 years old, does he have what it takes to become the greatest hockey player of all time?
To answer that question, we’ll compare Sid the Kid’s age 30 accomplishments with the players universally recognized as the best ever in the sport. We’ll find out how Sid the Kid stacks up with them and if he can overtake them to be the GOAT of hockey.
Wayne Gretzky won a record 9 Hart Trophies as NHL regular season MVP and 2 Conn Smythe Trophies as Playoff MVP. In terms of playoff MVP, Mario Lemieux, Bobby Orr, and Sidney Crosby each have two to tie Gretzky. But Wayne’s 9 Hart Trophies are almost impossible to top.
Gretzky won 8 consecutive regular-season MVP awards during his playing days, and his 9 MVP awards are the most for any player in any of the four major North American sports.
The rise of young superstars like Connor McDavid, who was last season’s regular-season MVP, isn’t going to help Crosby. This new breed of stars is just about to hit their athletic peak, and they are going to start piling up the hardware. That said, it’s not impossible for Crosby to win more MVP awards, but catching up with Gretzky’s 9 is near impossible.
Wayne Gretzky amassed a total of 10 Art Ross Trophies during a fourteen-year period, including 7 in a row from 1981-87. Mario Lemieux had six, and Gordie Howe had five. Bobby Orr and Sidney Crosby each have two.
Crosby has been a top-three scorer in each of the last five seasons. But again, the rise of the likes of McDavid, who was the NHL’s top scorer these past two seasons, makes it difficult for Crosby to add to his total, much less catch up with Howe, Lemieux, and especially Gretzky.
But let’s not discount Sidney Crosby just yet because Gretzky and Lemieux both won a couple of scoring titles when they were in their 30s, while Howe added one after turning 30 years old.
Again, it’s Wayne Gretzky who leads our group, with 5 goal scoring titles. Gordie Howe is next with 4, and then Mario Lemieux with 2. Since the 1998-99 season, the NHL’s leading goal scorer is awarded the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy, in honor of legendary right winger Maurice Richard of the Montreal Canadiens who was the first player to reach the 500-goal milestone in the NHL.
Sidney Crosby won that award in 2010 and 2017, but with Alexander Ovechkin leading the NHL in goals scored in five of the last six seasons, it’s not likely that Crosby is going to catch up with Gretzky’s count, although that doesn’t mean Crosby is no longer a prolific goal scorer today.
This is where Sidney Crosby beats all of the legends compared to him. Crosby won two Olympic gold medals, one World Championships, one World Cup, and one World Cup MVP award. But with all due respect to him, he won this many only because he had more opportunities.
NHL players were only allowed to play in the Olympics in 1998, hence Gretzky’s lone Olympic appearance was Canada’s ill-fated Nagano campaign. Lemieux won Olympic gold in 2002 and the World Cup two years later. Super Mario also had a silver medal in the 1985 World Championships.
Mario Lemieux won the Calder Trophy and the Masterton Trophy once. Wayne Gretzky was a recipient of the Lady Byng Trophy for sportsmanship. Bobby Orr was also a Calder Trophy winner. On the other hand, Sidney Crosby missed winning the Calder Trophy because of Alex Ovechkin.
If there’s a miscellaneous award that Crosby could win in the future, it could be the Selke Trophy. That’s because he’s one of the best two-way forwards in the league today, and he finished 7th and 10th in the voting during the previous two seasons.
Wayne Gretzky and Gordie Howe each won four Stanley Cups by the age of 30. Bobby Orr, Maurice Richard, and Mario Lemieux had two apiece at the same age. Because Sidney Crosby already has three, you can take out Lemieux, Richard, and Orr from this equation. Now that leaves us with Gretzky and Howe.
Gordie Howe won his Stanley Cups in six-team leagues, while Wayne Gretzky won his in a 21-team league. There are currently 30 teams in the NHL, and considering Crosby is playing in the salary-cap era, being just one short of Wayne Gretzky and Gordie Howe is very impressive, if not better.
Also, Gretzky won his four Stanley Cups before his 28th birthday. On the other hand, Crosby has won back-to-back titles since he turned 28. He’s only 30 right now, and without question, he is very much in his athletic prime. The possibilities are limitless for him – that is, if Sidney Crosby stays healthy.
Sid the Kid has had his share of injuries in his now-13-year NHL career. In fact, in between the 2011 and 2013 NHL seasons, he played just a total of 99 games due to dealing mostly with concussions. But he’s been healthier in recent years, missing just 16 out of a possible 410 games in the last five seasons. And yes, Crosby played all 82 games of the current season, the first time in his career he’s done so.
Having said that and knowing that Wayne Gretzky retired at the age of 38, it’s not hard to think that maybe Sid the Kid can add one or more Stanley Cups before he hangs up those skates. The remaining years of his career will determine where he finishes among the greatest of the game.
The thing about Wayne Gretzky, though, is that he played on teams that were filled with superstars – Jari Kurri, Glenn Anderson, Paul Coffey, and of course, Mark Messier. On the other hand, Crosby has had solid but not Hall-of-Fame teammates like Chris Kunitz and Pascal Dupuis and young guys like Jake Guentzel and Conor Sheary. Perhaps the only sure-fire Hall of Famer he ever played with was Evgeni Malkin.
Crosby is the better all-around player, with him being more defensively aware than Gretzky. Being the more physical specimen, Crosby’s defensive skills are much better, and his dominance along the boards is impressive. If you asked him to shut down an offensive player, he can do so. You can’t say the same about Gretzky.
Sidney Crosby’s age-30 resume ranks up there with the likes of Gretzky, Bobby Orr, Gordie Howe, and Mario Lemieux. Given the amount and quality of competition he has today and the restrictions like the salary cap, his achievements are extraordinary. It’s probably safe to say right now that Crosby is Top 5 of all time, and Gretzky is correct when he said that Sidney Crosby is the best player in hockey since Mario Lemieux.
With what Sidney Crosby has achieved in his first 13 seasons in the NHL, he has every right to be ranked among the likes of Wayne Gretzky, Bobby Orr, and Mario Lemieux. And yes, he is the best hockey player of his generation, no doubt about that. But when we talk about the greatest, and there can only be one, there’s no question that it will always be The Great One. Wayne Gretzky’s NHL accomplishments are off the charts. No one has ever come close to even challenging them – not even Sidney Crosby.
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