Although the Pittsburgh Penguins' seventh win in 10 games to start the 2025-26 season was understandably overshadowed by a serious injury to a fan at PPG Paints Arena, Sidney Crosby reached another incredible milestone in his 21st NHL campaign.
Crosby recorded a goal and two assists in a 6-3 victory over the visiting St. Louis Blues on Monday night, in the process achieving 1,700 National Hockey League points.
The three-time Stanley Cup champion is just the ninth player in league history to achieve the feat, and the only active player with at least 1,700, per NHL Media.
No. 87 joins Wayne Gretzky (2,857), Jaromir Jagr (1,921), Mark Messier (1,887), Gordie Howe (1,850), Ron Francis (1,798), Marcel Dionne (1,771), Steve Yzerman (1,755) and Mario Lemieux (1,723) on the exclusive list.
“Joining that company, those are players I grew up idolizing,” the Penguins captain said afterwards, per NHL.com's Wes Crosby. “I didn’t ever think I’d be with them or near them. It’s something I’m grateful for, that I’ve been able to play this long and be part of that group.”
“1,700 points is incredible,” said linemate Bryan Rust, who amassed two goals and an assist of his own. “To be part of I don’t know how many [of Crosby’s points], obviously not all of them, but to be part of some of them has been really cool, and to get the goal on 1,700 is really cool and something I’m going to remember.”
It's an incredible milestone for Crosby, but he turned the attention to an adult fan who fell from the upper concourse to the lower bowl on Monday night before being taken to a local hospital.
Sidney Crosby shows high level of character after milestone
“I just want to say we just found out that someone fell tonight, so doesn't feel right to be talking about points when you hear something like that,” Crosby said. “We just found out, so obviously our thoughts and prayers are with that person and their family. Hoping that they're OK.
“So, yeah, like I said, it feels kind of weird talking about hockey when something like that kind of happens. But yeah, I think the reception's always been great. I've been fortunate since the day I got here, arrived at the airport. From then on, it's been incredible. Yeah, I always appreciate that.”
It's an admirable move for Crosby to speak out about a very serious injury to a fan, and is another example of the high level of character and integrity Pittsburgh's captain has continued to show throughout his over two decade NHL career.
All hopes are that the fan will be alright and able to leave the hospital as soon as possible.
Otherwise for Crosby and the Penguins, it's been a terrific start to the 2025-26 campaign. Despite being pencilled into a bottom-feeding role this year, Pittsburgh has instead roared out of the gates.
Led by Crosby and Evgeni Malkin turning back the clock, the Pens are 7-1-2 and second to just the New Jersey Devils for top spot in both the Metropolitan Division and Eastern Conference.
They'll look to keep the good times rolling during Frozen Frenzy on Tuesday night, taking on the Flyers in an all-Pennsylvania clash in Philly.
