#87 Sidney Crosby Milestone Thread - History will be made (600 goals, 1600 points)

[paracord]

So, I'm super bored at work and looked up these numbers to compare Sid to other long tenured players that rank high in scoring historically.

All of these numbers are simply taking their Age 37 and Over years ( I didnt do any crazy birthday math, I took seasons where they were 37 or older on Jan 31 of that season like hockey reference gave me) and look at only their GP and Total Points. For the purpose of this, I'll take Sid's projected totals for this year to give him credit for his full 36-year old year.

Rounding out his year with his projected totals, that leaves Crosby at 1272 Games played with 1589 Total Points; 332 points behind Jagr for #2 all-time, 333 to pass. Of the 12 players I quickly looked at and calculated, 2 make it or tie, and 3 players within 11 points of making it. Only 2 played more than 500 games after their 36-year old year.

In no order or anything;

Joe Thornton GP: 347 TP: 198
Gordie Howe GP: 508 TP: 489 (and hundreds more of each in the WHA)
Mark Messier GP: 585 TP: 324
Joe Sakic GP: 141 TP:152
Ron Francis GP: 335 TP: 239
Wayne Gretzky GP: 152 TP: 152
Jaromir Jagr GP: 460 TP: 322
Mark Recchi GP: 479 TP: 332 (Makes it on the nose in a tie)
Steve Yzerman GP: 152 TP: 93
Marcel Dionne GP: 37 TP:23
Mario Lemieux GP: 103 TP: 122
Teemu Selanne GP: 410 TP: 322

It's possible that if Sid stays healthy and even close to as consistent as he has been and has the drive that he COULD do it, but also extremely unlikely. Would love to see it, though.

Funny that the cream still rises to the top. Old Man Gretzky still a point per game. Old Man Lemieux still OVER a point per game.

Those guys just don't have it in their DNA to not score points at will, not matter how decrepit they are.

I'd bet they are the only two such players in history at a PPG over 37.

 

[lokomotiv15]

Funny that the cream still rises to the top. Old Man Gretzky still a point per game. Old Man Lemieux still OVER a point per game.

Those guys just don't have it in their DNA to not score points at will, not matter how decrepit they are.

I'd bet they are the only two such players in history at a PPG over 37.

Yeah, Mario with 91 pts in 67 games (111 Points over a full season) as a 37 year old on a bad Pens team (injuries to literally EVERYONE decent on that team and Kovalev only there for 2/3rds of the season not helping) in one of the lowest scoring eras ever.

Gretz with 90 in 82 and I think leading the league in assists. Joe Sakic hanging in there though with 100 pts as a 37 year old, albeit in a higher scoring season.

 

[MacMacandBarbie]

Yeah, Mario with 91 pts in 67 games (111 Points over a full season) as a 37 year old on a bad Pens team (injuries to literally EVERYONE decent on that team and Kovalev only there for 2/3rds of the season not helping) in one of the lowest scoring eras ever.

Gretz with 90 in 82 and I think leading the league in assists. Joe Sakic hanging in there though with 100 pts as a 37 year old, albeit in a higher scoring season.

Burnaby was still really productive until that freak finger accident that ended his career.

 

[lokomotiv15]

Burnaby was still really productive until that freak finger accident that ended his career.

Yeah, even in the next two seasons, he didn't have that big late-30's heavy fall off year. Got his hand up inside a snow blower, I think, along with a bad back.

 

[jigglysquishy]

Funny that the cream still rises to the top. Old Man Gretzky still a point per game. Old Man Lemieux still OVER a point per game.

Those guys just don't have it in their DNA to not score points at will, not matter how decrepit they are.

I'd bet they are the only two such players in history at a PPG over 37.

In 1968-69 Gordie Howe put up 103 points in 76 games, good for third in the league. He turned 41 that season. He finished second in EVP that season.

 

[Toby91ca]

Funny that the cream still rises to the top. Old Man Gretzky still a point per game. Old Man Lemieux still OVER a point per game.

Those guys just don't have it in their DNA to not score points at will, not matter how decrepit they are.

I'd bet they are the only two such players in history at a PPG over 37.

As already pointed out, you'd lose your bet. There may be others, but there at least the following: Ovechkin, Howe, Sakic, Selanne, Bucyk, Oates, Ratelle and Beliveau.

 

[ImporterExporter]

Sid has always been an underrated goal scorer. He is a pass/team first player who has notoriously gone stretches where he just doesn't shoot a lot but has always been very accurate with the wrist/snap shots and his backhand is one of the best ever.

The year when he was run by Steckel in the outdoor classic really irks me as he was on pace for a monumental season (64 goals/124 points) over 41 games. He was running away with everything that year and a 3rd Rocket, especially one with 60+ goals would have been a hellova bullet point. That was the most dominant and goal bent I've seen him. The year before he won the Rocket shooting 17% and was just a hair under 20% when he got rocked.

Sid has only finished top 10 (5th) in shots on net once in his career (09-10). It's pretty impressive that his goal scoring is as strong as it is.

A 50 goal season at age 36 would be an all time great accomplishment. 51 would be a record for players aged 36, though I think he probably ends up in the 40-45 range, though his shooting % is not abnormally high (17%) with 3 seasons being at that mark or higher previously.

If he can play another 4-5 years after this, I think 700 goals is certainly attainable.

With better injury luck and not being run during his prime, I think he'd have breezed to 2000 career points as well, but still think he finishes in the 1800-1850 range which would put him at 5th all time.

 

[paracord]

In 1968-69 Gordie Howe put up 103 points in 76 games, good for third in the league. He turned 41 that season. He finished second in EVP that season.

I'm talking career past 37, not just a segment of that time.

 

[pi314]

The year when he was run by Steckel in the outdoor classic really irks me

Me too.

Nobody will ever convince me that wasn’t on purpose.

I’ve given guys a dirty little shot on the way by. You try to look ahead like it’s an accident.

I’ve had guys bump into me accidentally. You’re always surprised and look over to see what’s happening.

He knew what he was doing and never looked.

Still irks me too.

Great post otherwise. Just needed to rant like an old man with someone on his lawn.

 

[jigglysquishy]

I'm talking career past 37, not just a segment of that time.

Gordie Howe from 1964-65 until his 1971 retirement (ages 37 through 43)

524 points in 498 games.

 

[AppreciateHockey]

Some people say Crosby was not affected by the 2010-2011 injuries but I would say there is a clear pre and post injury version of him. I wonder how his head was affected, as I remember Paul Kariya saying he lost a couple of steps as soon as the first (big) concussion hit when he was only 23. So he never even got to his prime when his decline began because of the Suter cheapshot to the head in 1997.

Without the major injuries in 2010-2011 and no lockout, Crosby would have gotten 2000 points. But I have to say right now I could see Sidney playing till he is 45. He has the drive for it but it just depends on which team. He's not going to keep playing in a tirefire which the Penguins are becoming rapidly.

So I hope he gets over his own loyalty for the Penguins and tries to move to the Avalanche (MacKinnon) or Bruins (Marchand) via trade or free agency. Although a move in free agency to the Oilers to play with McDavid for pocket change would be hilarious.

 

[lokomotiv15]

Gordie Howe from 1964-65 until his 1971 retirement (ages 37 through 43)

524 points in 498 games.

His one season come-back to the NHL as a 51 year old with Hartford where he had 41 in 80 (still incredible for that age) put him back to under PPG after age of 37.

 

[jigglysquishy]

His one season come-back to the NHL as a 51 year old with Hartford where he had 41 in 80 (still incredible for that age) put him back to under PPG after age of 37.

Are we really going to criticize Howe on the basis he played at 51? He spent his late 30s/early 40s over a PPG.

What a bizarre comment.

He had 565 points in 578 regular season NHL games over that time.

He had 508 points in 419 regular season games in the WHA over that time.

That's 1073 points in 997 games from 1964-65 (age 37) through age 52.

 

[lokomotiv15]

Are we really going to criticize Howe on the basis he played at 51? He spent his late 30s/early 40s over a PPG.

What a bizarre comment.

He had 565 points in 578 regular season NHL games over that time.

He had 508 points in 419 regular season games in the WHA over that time.

That's 1073 points in 997 games from 1964-65 (age 37) through age 52.

Not really, considering you were replying to a comment that someone made about them being the only guys over-37 to be at over a point per game from that point out.

You also responded to a comment about his career totals post-37, in which you omitted his 51 year old season which, last I checked, is post 37.

I'm not criticizing Howe on anything; I love Gordie. His level of play from 37-on in any league is absurd, but i assumed that you had kept up the conversation which was originally about point totals in the NHL otherwise we'd be talking about Hull scoring 117 and 123 points post-37 in the WHA.

If we're talking NHL + WHA then Howe hangs out in his own little territory where no one is even close enough to be worth mentioning, obviously.

 

[Offtheboard412]

Some people say Crosby was not affected by the 2010-2011 injuries but I would say there is a clear pre and post injury version of him. I wonder how his head was affected, as I remember Paul Kariya saying he lost a couple of steps as soon as the first (big) concussion hit when he was only 23. So he never even got to his prime when his decline began because of the Suter cheapshot to the head in 1997.

Without the major injuries in 2010-2011 and no lockout, Crosby would have gotten 2000 points. But I have to say right now I could see Sidney playing till he is 45. He has the drive for it but it just depends on which team. He's not going to keep playing in a tirefire which the Penguins are becoming rapidly.

So I hope he gets over his own loyalty for the Penguins and tries to move to the Avalanche (MacKinnon) or Bruins (Marchand) via trade or free agency. Although a move in free agency to the Oilers to play with McDavid for pocket change would be hilarious.

Of course the injuries affected him. He went from a guy always attacking the net with the puck to a perimeter playmaker. His goal scoring took a major hit when he first came back. It took him a few years to start going back to the dirty areas as much. He also became a lot less puck dominant.

 

[Nico Cauzuki]

records are meant to be broken

go get it Sid

 

[Toby91ca]

records are meant to be broken

go get it Sid

Get what record?

 

[Dessloch]

Get what record?

might be this one? 19-18 Gretzky lead before this season.

 

[Toby91ca]

might be this one? 19-18 Gretzky lead before this season.

Maybe….if he keeps at or above ppg this season he’d tie Gretzky and then next year would be to take the record I guess. Some would say he aready has the record for seasons above ppg because Gretzky had a season where he finished at ppg, not above

 

[wetcoast]

might be this one? 19-18 Gretzky lead before this season.

Crosby already has the record of most PPG +1 consecutive seasons with 17 and this year would make it 18 but he already is in rarified air.

 

[GrumpyKoala]

So I hope he gets over his own loyalty for the Penguins and tries to move to the Avalanche (MacKinnon) or Bruins (Marchand) via trade or free agency. Although a move in free agency to the Oilers to play with McDavid for pocket change would be hilarious.

As much I would enjoy that, I don't think he will ever not be a pens.

We might very well get confortable with the idea that we might never witness playoff Crosby again.

 

[wetcoast]

As much I would enjoy that, I don't think he will ever not be a pens.

We might very well get confortable with the idea that we might never witness playoff Crosby again.

I agree that Crosby almost certainly retires as a Penguin but I also think that they are a good bet for the playoffs this year but after that it looks dicey.

 

[FDBluth]

I actually think this year Sid might have looked at his stats with everyone talking about Ovechkin's goals and been like "oh sh*t, maybe I should get my goalscoring up a bit" and boom here we are

 

[GrumpyKoala]

I agree that Crosby almost certainly retires as a Penguin but I also think that they are a good bet for the playoffs this year but after that it looks dicey.

Wish them a last run, especially after the heartbreaking end of last season. But I don't reasticaly think this happen. They have one of the hardest schedule to battle against.

 

[Luigi Lemieux]

Wish them a last run, especially after the heartbreaking end of last season. But I don't reasticaly think this happen. They have one of the hardest schedule to battle against.

Might not be a bad thing. Their record is better against good teams than it is against bad teams.