Larkin: Sidney Crosby is having one of the greatest ‘old guy’ seasons ever

Matt Larkin
Matt Larkin(MLarkinHockey)
Larkin: Sidney Crosby is having one of the greatest ‘old guy’ seasons ever

Can a borderline top-five player in NHL history be a forgotten man?

Evidently: yes.

The epic, memorable, stat-stuffing 2021-22 NHL season belongs to many superstars. Auston Matthews just became the first player in 26 years to score 50 or more goals in a 50-game stretch. Roman Josi set the Nashville Predators’ single-season record for points by a defenseman and has a chance to become the NHL’s first 100-point blueliner since Brian Leetch in 1991-92. Jonathan Huberdeau set an NHL single-season record for assists by a left winger. If Connor McDavid holds on for the scoring title, he’ll be the third player in NHL history to win four Art Ross Trophies before turning 26. Leon Draisaitl became the 24th player to get 50 goals and 100 points in a season more than once. Kirill Kaprizov set the Minnesota Wild franchise record for points in a season, while Chris Kreider has a chance at the New York Rangers record for goals in a season.

Plugging away in the gargantuan shadow cast by so many great players this season: some guy named Sidney Crosby. Remember him? He popped back on the radar Sunday by scoring in overtime to lift his Pittsburgh Penguins past the Nashville Predators. In doing so, he recorded career point number 1,400 in game 1,100. Crosby is the seventh-fastest player in NHL history to hit 1,400 points, trailing only Wayne Gretzky (580 games, LOL), Mario Lemieux (691), Marcel Dionne (1,022), Phil Esposito (1,070), Jaromir Jagr (1,086) and Steve Yzerman (1,093).

Crosby’s 75 points in 61 games this season put him at a 101-point pace in an 82-game schedule, though he’ll top out at no more than 69, having missed 13 games this season due to illnesses and a wrist injury. His 1.23 points per game give him his highest scoring average since 2018-19 and his second-best mark in his past eight seasons – and he’s doing it at 34 years old. Based on scoring average, he’s having one of the greatest scoring seasons ever by a player 34 or older (min. 40 games):

NameAgeSeasonPoints per game
Mario Lemieux352000-011.77
Mario Lemieux372002-031.36
Gordie Howe401968-691.36
Mark Messier351995-961.34
Jean Ratelle351975-761.31
Wayne Gretzky341995-961.28
Daniel Alfredsson352007-081.27
Martin St. Louis372012-131.25
Sidney Crosby342021-221.23

Offense aside, Crosby is having one of the best all-around seasons ever for a forward in his age group once we factor in his two-way impact.

The Penguins this season without Crosby on the ice at 5-on-5:

– Outscore opponents 47-34 (+13)
– Outshoot opponents 574-499 (+76)
– Outchance opponents 542-423 (+119)
– Hold 1,002-841 advantage in shot attempts (+161)
– Hold 224-177 advantage in high-danger attempts (+47)

With Crosby on the ice at 5-on-5, the Penguins get approximately 58 percent of the goals, 53 percent of the shots, 56 percent of the scoring chances, 54 percent of the shot attempts and 56 percent of the high-danger attempts. Crosby hasn’t lost his ability to tilt the ice and drive the play in his team’s favor.

Should he thus warrant more chatter as a fringe Hart Trophy candidate? It’s doubtful he leapfrogs the likes of Matthews, McDavid, Josi and Johnny Gaudreau on the ballot, but Crosby has been significantly responsible for his team’s success in 2021-22. The Penguins are 5-4-4 in the 13 games he’s missed this season, good for a .538 points percentage. With him in the lineup, they’re 37-18-6, good for a .656 points percentage. If we think of the literal definition of the Hart criteria, Crosby is right up there among the players who have most directly influenced their teams’ fates this season.

History likely won’t be on his side for ballot momentum, however. Only three times has the MVP gone to a player 34 or older. Joe Sakic in 2000-01 is the only player this century to even win the Hart in his 30s. The reasoning is easy enough to understand: once great players reach their 30s, their offensive peak passes and/or they tend to sacrifice some offense for a better all-around game. Without the eye-popping point totals, it’s rarer to get voters’ attention. Crosby still holds an almost-elite standard of offensive production, but he’s not longer in the God Tier. That means he’s unlucky to win another Hart in his career despite being one of the most productive 34-year-olds in NHL history.

What about a Selke Trophy as a consolation? That’ll be tough to grab, too. As Crosby once told me in an interview, the way he sees it, as long as Patrice Bergeron’s in the league, there are only two Selke finalist spots up for grabs, and that certainly won’t be changing this season given Bergeron’s sublime play.

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