Page 49 - Sports Energy News, Cornwall, Issue No 136

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Stories And More About The People In Stormont, Dundas & Glengarry
As “Sid the Kid” is completing his nineteenth year in the NHL, he’s entering the top ten in all time
points scored. Where does Sidney Crosby rank on the list of the all-time greats?

Jake Lapierre - Conditioning Coach - Anytime anyone googles “The Great One,” the name Wayne Douglas Gretzky is the only
name to appear in the search response. He is considered the greatest hockey player the world has ever seen. During his 20 seasons
in the NHL, he won four Stanley Cups and set countless records for the league. He scored 215 points in a single season, 50 goals in
39 games and had 12 consecutive 40 goal seasons. It’s hard to imagine anyone ever racking up those types of stats again in the NHL.
In 2005, the Pittsburgh Penguins drafted a young prospect from Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia, named Sidney Crosby, first overall. He
became an instant superstar after scoring 102 points in his rookie season. Since then, he’s won a Stanley Cup with the Penguins and
two Olympic gold medals with Team Canada, but where does Sidney rank up against Wayne on the list of all-time greats?
Let’s take a look at Wayne and Sidney’s point totals, some statistical evidence, and try to account for the eras they played in.
For initial comparisons, Gretzky recorded 894 goals and 1,963 assists in under 1,500 games. Crosby, on the other hand, has earned 302 goals and
853 points in 627 games. At first glance, it appears Gretzky blows Crosby out of the water however, comparing players from different eras isn’t that
simple.
Gretzky reigned in the 1980’s and 1990’s, while Crosby skates in modern times; many changes occurred within that time span. These include the
implementation of a salary cap, which put a stop to loading teams up with high performing, high salary players; goaltending equipment has been
adjusted, game play rules have changed, all of which have significantly altered the game and goal scoring in the NHL.
Over Gretzky’s 20 seasons in the NHL, the league averaged 3.50 goals per game (gpg), while through Crosby’s career, that same stat fell to 2.83 gpg.
This means players in the modern era score 19% less than those in the ‘80’s and ‘90’s, so less goals, less assists, less points.
With this in mind, if Gretzky had played in today’s time and suffered a 19% loss in point totals, he would have accumulated 724 goals and 1,590
assists throughout his career in the NHL. Though these are remarkable stats, it’s significantly less than the numbers he posted during his time.
Using this comparison, you can see Sidney isn’t that far off in production compared to Gretzky.
Crosby may not be able to overthrow Gretzky as the next Great One, but he is certainly closer than many give him credit for. So where does Sidney
Crosby rank on my list of the all-time greats?
That’s to be determined. Sid still has many years left in his career to improve his statistics.

Jim Riddell - Seaway Karate Club - Sidney Crosby has had an incredible NHL career, averaging well over one point per game,
each season, since he entered the league in 2005. He’s won three Stanley Cups plus a long list of individual NHL trophies, many
of them multiple times. In 2010, he scored the game winning goal for Canada in the Gold Medal game against the United States at
the Vancouver Olympics. Four years later he captained Canada to another Olympic Gold in Sochi, Russia. It’s difficult to compare
players from different eras, but Sidney Crosby is the best of his era. As to where he would fit on my all-time great list, I would place
him at # 5 behind Gretzky, Howe, Lemieux and Orr.

Peter Collins - Sports Enthusiast - As “Sid the Kid” is completing his nineteenth year in the NHL, he’s entering the top ten in all
time points scored. Where does Crosby rank on your list of the all-time greats?
There is no question as an all-round hockey player, Sid ranks with the best of them. He’s a three-time Stanley Cup champion, Olympic
Gold Medalist, World Championship Gold Medalist, and his team accomplishment list goes on and on. As an individual he’s one of
the most awarded players in NHL history. Sid has won almost every NHL award more than once, from the Rocket Richard, Conn
Smythe, to the Hart, and the Art Ross trophies. Maybe the most amazing fact about Sid is that after nineteen years he’s still playing
twenty minutes a game, leads the league in faceoff percentage won, and is ranked in the top fifteen in points scored.
While Sid’s talents are many, he does not have that one unique dominating skill that would set him apart from the rest. He doesn’t have the scoring
flair of Ovechkin, the speed of McDavid, or the physicality of Messier. What he does have in abundance is heart, and that heart has pushed him
into the top tier of hockey’s all-time pantheon of stars. If I were starting a franchise today, he would be at the top of the list of players to choose. So
where does he rank all time? I would put Orr, Gretzky, and Lemieux ahead of him, so he’s number four on my list of greatest NHL players.