Sidney Crosby is now 36, but he’s carrying the Pittsburgh Penguins. The team made some great off-season signings, especially the Norris Trophy-winner Erik Karlsson, but hasn’t had the best start to the season.
But Crosby has played at a level that shouldn’t be possible at his age, and on Wednesday, he put on yet another remarkable and dominant display.
Against the Montreal Canadiens, Crosby had three points, including two goals, and he saved the Penguins and led his team to a 4-3 shootout win.
With his third point of the night, Crosby pulled into a tie with former teammate Mark Recchi as No. 13 in points in NHL history. At 36, he has 17 goals and 31 points in 28 games—currently on pace for 91 points—and he’s the only reason the Penguins are still in a place to reach the playoffs.
And after another breathtaking game from Sid the Kid, NHL insiders are raising voices that the Hart Trophy belongs to him. Crosby has won the league MVP two times, but nowadays, all the talk is about Connor McDavid and Jack Hughes.
But in a piece in Sportsnet, Eric Engels claims his favorite for the award is Sidney Crosby.
”That’s what Crosby has been doing this whole season — giving the Penguins a chance to remain in a playoff race they’d otherwise have no business being near and making perhaps the most convincing case of anyone in the league to date that the Hart Trophy belongs on his mantle,” he said.
Engels claims we’re watching history being made right now.
”It’s this ability to assess what’s happening on the ice as if he were 1,000 feet above it that has to be at the root of how he’s authoring one of the most impressive seasons a player his age ever has in this league. Crosby may no longer be the fastest, nor the most skilled, but he is still one of the game’s sharpest thinkers,” he said.
For Penguins coach Mike Sullivan, it’s special watching Crosby do what he does every night.
“I think we’ve just grown accustomed to it,” Sullivan said about the captain. “I think he plays the game at an elite level all the time. He has the ability to raise his game when he needs to, and he does in so many different circumstances. He still has elite play in his game, and we have the privilege to watch him night-in and night-out. I think he’s been a consistent force all year long for us…”
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