March 27, 2025, 08:33 PM ET
Buffalo, NY – The results were special. The outcome is disappointing.
Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby fell to the rocker stall on Thursday night to focus on his team’s latest biased loss, focusing on more than his personal milestone in defeating the NHL records, where he shared a point party consistency with Wayne Gretzky.
“It’s hard to play to win, and obviously it’s a special milestone,” Crosby said he’s approached the Penguins to miss out on the playoffs for three consecutive seasons, following a 7-3 loss to the Buffalo Sabres.
“But you know in such a game, it’s not really the same. So yeah, just a tough night. Yeah, a tough night.”
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Along with his parents in the Buffalo Stands, Crosby took the Penguin’s lonely highlight in the first period, cutting the Sabres’ lead to 2-1. Set up earlier by Rickard Ruckel, Crosby kicked the puck to the stick using his right skate, taking a shot into the correct post in one move.
It was his 26th goal and the 80th point of the season in his 72nd game. With eight games remaining in Pittsburgh’s season, Crosby is guaranteed to finish his 20th NHL season and finish with at least one point out.
The Penguin captain surpassed the first set by Gretzky, who finished everything except his 20th and final NHL season in 1998-99.
“He’s an incredible, special player and a person,” said teammate Brian Rust. “There are a lot of good people for a year, two or five years. But to make it longer, I think it’s incredibly special.”
What stands out beyond Coach Mike Sullivan’s consistency is Crosby’s competitive drive.
“I’ve said that on many occasions: his passion for the game and his willingness to keep his work in top form. It’s just amazing,” Sullivan said.
After all, this is the player who has bolstered his game since the 4 Nations tournament, combining nine goals and 22 points on the last 17 outings to bring the Penguins back into playoff contests.
“I think when you’re in a situation like this, you know a lot about people,” Sullivan said. “And I think that exemplifies his leadership.”
Since being selected to Pittsburgh for the No. 1 pick in the 2005 draft, Crosby has led the franchise to win three Stanley Cup championships. He is a two-time NHL regular season MVP and won the league’s regular season points race twice.
“I think you have to keep getting better and learning. Even after a long time, you have to continue to evolve and adjust,” Crosby said of the key to his consistency. “But I’ve been very fortunate to be able to play with some great players over the last 20 years, and I think that’s a big part of that.”
Crosby’s feat comes as Alex Ovechkin of Washington is five goals from breaking Gretzky’s NHL career record with a career goal of 894.
It should have been no surprise that Crosby faced Buffalo. He has built a career producing against non-division rivals leading all active players with 86 points (30 goals, 56 assists) in 61 career games against the Sabres.
Loss aside, Crosby’s comfort kept his parents in hand and shared yet another memorable moment in his career, including winning a gold medal clinch goal in a 3-2 overtime victory in the US at the 2010 Vancouver game.
“They have been to a lot of games over the years and they were very victimized and very supportive,” Crosby said. “It’s really special to be here for a moment like this, and that’s the least I can do.”
