Once he got close to the record, it took several games to surpass it finally, but few players have ever had the flair for the dramatic quite like Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby .
Sunday, Crosby passed his mentor, friend, and even former landlord Mario Lemieux as the Penguins franchise's all-time leading scorer. The point came on a quick power play pass to Bryan Rust near the net. Rust hurriedly snapped the pass across the crease to Rickard Rakell , who promptly buried the power play goal.
Once the puck left Crosby's stick, the play took mere moments, but the record has been building since the Penguins' improbable draft lottery win 20 years ago, following the lost lockout season of 2004-05, in which every team had a chance to win the first overall pick.
From 2005-06 to now, one jersey but 1724 points.
The Penguins had just a 6% chance in that lottery. Yet, it was they who were able to call Crosby's name in a hastily arranged draft at an Ottawa hotel once the players and owners agreed to the framework of a new collective bargaining agreement.
After a few minutes and thunderous ovations from the Penguins fans at PPG Paints Arena, a video tribute from Mario Lemieux played on the scoreboard. The place fell silent, hanging on every word.
"I knew that when we played together in 2005, that you were going to be a very special player and accomplish a lot of special things in your career," Lemieux said. "Here we are 20 years later, you are now one of the best ever to play the game."
Crosby noticed the hush that fell over the crowd when Mario spoke, too. It was the same mesmerizing spell Lemieux had on the power play from the half wall when the world would seemingly stop.
"It's really special. You're trying to stay in the game, but also just try to enjoy the moment, too. So it's hard to balance that sometimes. Especially as you get older, you tend to look at things a little bit differently," Crosby said. "And seeing the crowd go quiet when Mario's message came on, that was pretty special. And if you don't understand the impact he's had here, and you're here tonight, I think you understand a little bit better now, given just how quiet it got. If there was any example of respect, I think it was really cool to see that."
Crosby has not only carried the Penguins for 20 years, but remains the face of the NHL and Team Canada. With the assist, he also passed Lemieux for eighth on the NHL's all-time scoring list.
Yet the accomplishment might have taken a few days to enjoy if not for the Penguins' hard-fought win over the Montreal Canadiens at PPG Paints Arena. The win ended the Penguins' eight-game winless streak and was their first shootout win of the season.
Crosby has broken other records and hit other milestones, but his postgame reactions are typically dependent on the game result. Sunday, his broad smile told the score and story of the game.
"It's mixed emotions. That number, I've been hanging around. The hockey gods made me earn it in the last few games. To get the win, to get the win in a shootout, it all kind of lined up well tonight," Crosby said.
The post Penguins Room: Crosby Enjoys Moment, 'Mixed Emotions' Breaking Mario's Record appeared first on Pittsburgh Hockey Now .
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