SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 20 , 2022. THE WASHINGTON POST EZ M2 D7
500th goal solidifies Crosby’s legacyIn becoming 46th player to reach milestone, Penguins star was more concerned with those around himBY WILL GRAVESpittsburgh — Sidney Crosby felt the pressure. He
always does. The Pittsburgh Penguins star could
sense it as he crept closer and closer to 500 career
goals.
In typical Crosby fashion, his concern wasn’t so
much about his pursuit of a milestone only 45 other
players in NHL history have reached but how much
it would inconvenience everyone else.
His parents, Troy and Trina, lived out of a
suitcase while crisscrossing the Northeast in recent
weeks in an effort to be on hand whenever their
only son reached rarefied air. His teammates nearly
tripped over themselves at times in an effort to
force-feed him the puck.
Mentor and Hall of Famer Mario Lemieux put
together a videotaped congratulatory message for a
moment that seemed uncertain a decade ago when
the lingering effects of a concussion cost one of the
game’s greatest players the better part of two
seasons and clouded his future.
Crosby, who had a deep appreciation for the
history of the game long before he became a
prodigy tasked with reviving a moribund franchise
nearly two decades ago, understood the outpouring
that would accompany No. 500.
For a player whose default status is to deflect
attention to others despite his considerable gifts,
maybe that’s what made the organic celebration
after his shot from just above the goal line Tuesday
night handcuffed Philadelphia Flyers goalie Carter
Hart and caromed into the net so sweet.
The men who have had the best view of Crosby’s
Hall of Fame career spilled over the boards to meet
their captain in the corner at PPG Paints Arena —
the same corner where Crosby erupted in Novem-
ber 2011 after his 216th career goal, the one against
the New York Islanders following a 10-month ab-sence. That giddy moment proved fleeting. Crosby
spent the rest of that season grappling with concus-
sion symptoms while dealing with whispers he
might never be the same.
Those whispers have long since been silenced,
replaced by the kind of roar that few others can
produce. It echoed from one end of the venue that
he built to the other Tuesday night, euphoria for a
player who has defined a generation.
“He’s in very elite company,” Penguins Coach
Mike Sullivan said. “And he’s so deserving. His
legacy, I think, speaks for itself. To see the reaction,
just the raw emotion on the bench, it gives you
goose bumps when you’re watching it up close like
we were as a coaching staff. It was really just a cool
experience.”
That experience is likely to become increasingly
rare in an era when scoring is at a far higher
premium than it was in Lemieux’s prime 30 years
ago. Only seven members of the 500-goal club have
played in the last decade; Crosby and Washington
Capitals rival Alex Ovechkin — long the primal
counterpart to the cerebral Crosby — are the only
active players on the list (veteran forward Patrick
Marleau, with 566 goals, is a free agent).
“It’s hard to put into words,” Crosby said. “I think
just being able to be part of some great teams over
the years, play with some great players. It’s a cool
number. You look at the guys who score 500 goals, I
think it’s just a privilege to be part of that company.”
Eight active players have 400 goals. Of that
group, only a handful — the Tampa Bay Lightning’s
Steven Stamkos (461), longtime Crosby teammate
Evgeni Malkin (429), the Chicago Blackhawks’ Pat-
rick Kane (416) and the Dallas Stars’ Joe Pavelski
(415) — seem to have a legitimate shot at joining the
club.
If given a chance, Crosby might have thanked all
107 of his teammates who have collected assists onhis 500 goals — a list that ranges from superstars
such as Lemieux and Malkin to unknowns such as
Micki DuPont, he of the three career assists, one of
them to Crosby in a long-forgotten victory over the
Atlanta Thrashers in 2006.
Crosby’s star was still ascending at that point in
the city he’s called home from the moment the
Penguins took him with the top pick in the 2005
draft. The sport is booming in Pittsburgh thanks in
part to the thrills Crosby has provided so regularly
for so long.
Even the Flyers, who have found themselves on
the wrong end of more Crosby goals (50 and
counting) than any other team, took a moment to
acknowledge history. Several players tapped their
sticks on the board in appreciation during an
extended video tribute in the second period.
“Wish he did it against somebody else or at least
we got the win,” said Philadelphia Coach Mike Yeo,
an assistant coach for the Penguins when Crosby
led them to the Stanley Cup in 2009. “He’s an
incredible player, and I’m definitely very grateful to
have had the chance to coach him.”
Yet it’s telling of Crosby’s legacy that afterward,
as much as he enjoyed a rare moment of pure joy in
the middle of the unique grind that is an NHL
regular season, he lamented a letdown that allowed
the Flyers to rally and nearly pull off an upset.
As much as he’ll cherish the puck and the mob
scene in the corner, Crosby remains defined not by
the goals he scores but the wins they create. That
relentless pursuit of team — not individual —
success is part of what separates him from many
others.
“His humility, the way he carries himself, his
work ethic, his team-first attitude and approach,”
Sullivan said. “He leads by example. He represents
everything that’s right about our game.”
— Associated PressEntering Saturday’s games.
GOALS GP G
Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton.................................... 48 35
Chris Kreider, N.Y. Rangers................................. 49 33
Auston Matthews, Toronto................................. 44 33
Alex Ovechkin, Washington................................ 50 31
Alex DeBrincat, Chicago...................................... 51 29
Kyle Connor, Winnipeg........................................ 48 28
Dylan Larkin, Detroit........................................... 46 26
Filip Forsberg, Nashville...................................... 37 25
Jake Guentzel, Pittsburgh................................... 45 25
Andrew Mangiapane, Calgary............................. 47 25
Connor McDavid, Edmonton................................ 47 25
Mikko Rantanen, Colorado.................................. 45 25
Troy Terry, Anaheim............................................ 46 25
David Pastrnak, Boston....................................... 48 24
Tyler Bertuzzi, Detroit......................................... 43 23
Kirill Kaprizov, Minnesota................................... 45 23
Gabriel Landeskog, Colorado............................... 40 23
Timo Meier, San Jose.......................................... 43 23
Steven Stamkos, Tampa Bay.............................. 48 23
Matthew Tkachuk, Calgary.................................. 47 23
ASSISTS GP A
Jonathan Huberdeau, Florida.............................. 49 51
Johnny Gaudreau, Calgary................................... 47 43
Connor McDavid, Edmonton................................ 47 43
Nazem Kadri, Colorado........................................ 45 42
Adam Fox, N.Y. Rangers...................................... 46 41
Artemi Panarin, N.Y. Rangers............................. 44 40
Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay................................. 49 39
Kris Letang, Pittsburgh....................................... 47 39
Roman Josi, Nashville......................................... 48 38
Kirill Kaprizov, Minnesota................................... 45 38
Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado.............................. 34 36
Morgan Rielly, Toronto........................................ 47 36
Patrick Kane, Chicago.......................................... 47 35
Mats Zuccarello, Minnesota................................ 40 34
Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton.................................... 48 33
Aaron Ekblad, Florida........................................... 48 33
Quinn Hughes, Vancouver................................... 46 33
Evgeny Kuznetsov, Washington......................... 49 33
J.T. Miller, Vancouver.......................................... 48 32
Steven Stamkos, Tampa Bay.............................. 48 32
POWER-PLAY GOALS GP PP
Chris Kreider, N.Y. Rangers................................. 49 17
Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton.................................... 48 14
Auston Matthews, Toronto................................. 44 12
David Pastrnak, Boston....................................... 48 12
Alex DeBrincat, Chicago...................................... 51 11
Mikko Rantanen, Colorado.................................. 45 11
Mika Zibanejad, N.Y. Rangers............................. 49 11
Pierre-Luc Dubois, Winnipeg............................... 47 10
Matt Duchene, Nashville..................................... 46 10
Sebastian Aho, Carolina...................................... 45 9
Joel Eriksson Ek, Minnesota............................... 41 9
Timo Meier, San Jose.......................................... 43 9
Joe Pavelski, Dallas............................................. 48 9
Alex Ovechkin, Washington................................ 50 8
Jason Robertson, Dallas...................................... 40 8
Steven Stamkos, Tampa Bay.............................. 48 8
Brock Boeser, Vancouver..................................... 44 7
Boone Jenner, Columbus..................................... 48 7
Jared McCann, Seattle......................................... 45 7
Josh Norris, Ottawa............................................. 36 7
SHORTHANDED GOALS GP SH
Aleksander Barkov, Florida................................. 36 4
Isac Lundestrom, Anaheim.................................. 51 4
Gustav Nyquist, Columbus.................................. 48 4
Cam Atkinson, Philadelphia................................ 49 3
Alex Formenton, Ottawa..................................... 44 3
Logan Couture, San Jose..................................... 44 2
Roope Hintz, Dallas............................................. 46 2
Mathieu Joseph, Tampa Bay............................... 46 2
David Kampf, Toronto.......................................... 47 2
Adrian Kempe, Los Angeles................................. 46 2
Chris Kreider, N.Y. Rangers................................. 49 2
Evgeny Kuznetsov, Washington......................... 49 2
Scott Laughton, Philadelphia.............................. 46 2
Brad Marchand, Boston....................................... 39 2
Mitch Marner, Toronto........................................ 38 2
Ilya Mikheyev, Toronto........................................ 18 2
Valeri Nichushkin, Colorado................................ 32 2
Reilly Smith, Vegas............................................. 48 2
Teuvo Teravainen, Carolina................................. 43 2
Jimmy Vesey, New Jersey................................... 46 2
POWER-PLAY ASSISTS GP PPA
Adam Fox, N.Y. Rangers...................................... 46 22
Connor McDavid, Edmonton................................ 47 20
Artemi Panarin, N.Y. Rangers............................. 44 20
Jonathan Huberdeau, Florida.............................. 49 17
Quinn Hughes, Vancouver................................... 46 17
J.T. Miller, Vancouver.......................................... 48 17
Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay................................. 49 16
Kris Letang, Pittsburgh....................................... 47 16
Cale Makar, Colorado........................................... 44 16
Brad Marchand, Boston....................................... 39 16
Roman Josi, Nashville......................................... 48 15
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Edmonton....................... 41 15
Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh................................... 39 14
Tony DeAngelo, Carolina..................................... 41 14
Patrick Kane, Chicago.......................................... 47 14
William Nylander, Toronto.................................. 47 14
Jakub Voracek, Columbus.................................... 46 14
Mats Zuccarello, Minnesota................................ 40 14
Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado.............................. 34 13
Moritz Seider, Detroit......................................... 51 13
SHORTHANDED ASSISTS GP SHA
Connor Brown, Ottawa........................................ 33 3
Aaron Ekblad, Florida........................................... 48 3
Logan O'Connor, Colorado................................... 48 3
Mika Zibanejad, N.Y. Rangers............................. 49 3
Sebastian Aho, Carolina...................................... 45 2
Patrice Bergeron, Boston.................................... 44 2
T.J. Brodie, Toronto............................................. 47 2
Pavel Buchnevich, St. Louis................................. 42 2
Brett Howden, Vegas.......................................... 37 2
Zach Hyman, Edmonton...................................... 42 2
Alexander Kerfoot, Toronto................................ 47 2
Adam Lowry, Winnipeg....................................... 48 2
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Edmonton....................... 41 2
Ivan Provorov, Philadelphia................................. 46 2
Michael Raffl, Dallas........................................... 42 2
Morgan Rielly, Toronto........................................ 47 2
Matt Roy, Los Angeles........................................ 47 2
Marco Scandella, St. Louis.................................. 45 2
Moritz Seider, Detroit......................................... 51 2
Reilly Smith, Vegas............................................. 48 2
POWER-PLAY POINTS GP PPP
Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton.................................... 48 26
Connor McDavid, Edmonton................................ 47 26
Artemi Panarin, N.Y. Rangers............................. 44 24
Chris Kreider, N.Y. Rangers................................. 49 23
Adam Fox, N.Y. Rangers...................................... 46 22
Roman Josi, Nashville......................................... 48 22
Brad Marchand, Boston....................................... 39 22
Auston Matthews, Toronto................................. 44 22
J.T. Miller, Vancouver.......................................... 48 22
Mikko Rantanen, Colorado.................................. 45 21
Mika Zibanejad, N.Y. Rangers............................. 49 21
Jonathan Huberdeau, Florida.............................. 49 20
Cale Makar, Colorado........................................... 44 20
William Nylander, Toronto.................................. 47 20
Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh................................... 39 19
Nazem Kadri, Colorado........................................ 45 19
Teuvo Teravainen, Carolina................................. 43 19
SHORTHANDED POINTS GP SHP
Aleksander Barkov, Florida................................. 36 4
Evgeny Kuznetsov, Washington......................... 49 4
Isac Lundestrom, Anaheim.................................. 51 4
Gustav Nyquist, Columbus.................................. 48 4
Logan O'Connor, Colorado................................... 48 4
Reilly Smith, Vegas............................................. 48 4
Cam Atkinson, Philadelphia................................ 49 3
Connor Brown, Ottawa........................................ 33 3
Pavel Buchnevich, St. Louis................................. 42 3
Logan Couture, San Jose..................................... 44 3
Aaron Ekblad, Florida........................................... 48 3
Alex Formenton, Ottawa..................................... 44 3
Zach Hyman, Edmonton...................................... 42 3
Mathieu Joseph, Tampa Bay............................... 46 3
David Kampf, Toronto.......................................... 47 3
Mitch Marner, Toronto........................................ 38 3
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Edmonton....................... 41 3
Mika Zibanejad, N.Y. Rangers............................. 49 3
GAME-WINNING GOALS GP GW
Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton.................................... 48 9
Jason Robertson, Dallas...................................... 40 7
Troy Terry, Anaheim............................................ 46 7
Sam Bennett, Florida........................................... 39 6
Filip Forsberg, Nashville...................................... 37 6
Adrian Kempe, Los Angeles................................. 46 6
Timo Meier, San Jose.......................................... 43 6
SHOTS GP S
Alex Ovechkin, Washington................................ 50225
Kyle Connor, Winnipeg........................................ 48214
David Pastrnak, Boston....................................... 48208
Auston Matthews, Toronto................................. 44199
Timo Meier, San Jose.......................................... 43182
Connor McDavid, Edmonton................................ 47181
Patrick Kane, Chicago.......................................... 47177
Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton.................................... 48170
Roman Josi, Nashville......................................... 48170
Patrice Bergeron, Boston.................................... 44166
Kirill Kaprizov, Minnesota................................... 45166
Mikko Rantanen, Colorado.................................. 45163
Alex DeBrincat, Chicago...................................... 51162
Johnny Gaudreau, Calgary................................... 47162
Jake Guentzel, Pittsburgh................................... 45161
William Nylander, Toronto.................................. 47159
Nazem Kadri, Colorado........................................ 45158
Brady Tkachuk, Ottawa....................................... 44158
Viktor Arvidsson, Los Angeles............................ 42157
Chris Kreider, N.Y. Rangers................................. 49155
PLUS-MINUS RATING GP+/-
Johnny Gaudreau, Calgary................................... 47 39
Elias Lindholm, Calgary....................................... 47 37
Devon Toews, Colorado....................................... 37 37
Aaron Ekblad, Florida........................................... 48 35
Cale Makar, Colorado........................................... 44 32
Matthew Tkachuk, Calgary.................................. 47 32
Justin Faulk, St. Louis......................................... 42 30
Ryan Hartman, Minnesota.................................. 46 30
Anton Lundell, Florida......................................... 45 29
Mikko Rantanen, Colorado.................................. 45 28
MacKenzie Weegar, Florida................................. 49 28
Oliver Kylington, Calgary..................................... 46 26
Anthony Duclair, Florida...................................... 41 25
Christopher Tanev, Calgary................................. 47 25
Gustav Forsling, Florida...................................... 40 24
Alex Goligoski, Minnesota................................... 41 24
Radko Gudas, Florida........................................... 47 24
Nick Jensen, Washington.................................... 46 24
Mason Marchment, Florida................................. 24 24NHL LEADERSEMILEE CHINN/GETTY IMAGES
“You look at the guys who score 500 goals, I think it’s just a privilege to be part of that company,” Sidney Crosby s aid after reaching the milestone.hockeysists to lead Edmonton past host
Winnipeg for its fifth straight win
with interim coach Jay Woodcroft.
Zach Hyman, Kailer Yamamoto
and Darnell Nurse also had goals
for the Oilers, and Tyson Barrie
had two assists. Mikko Koskinen
stopped 22 shots for Edmonton in
his first game since returning
from the coronavirus protocols.
Adam Lowry and Kyle Connor
each scored in the third period for
the Jets, who are 5-3-1 after a six-
game winless streak. Connor Hel-
lebuyck made 36 saves.
l BRUINS 3, SENATORS 2
(OT): David Pastrnak scored on aone-timer off a cross-ice feed from
Taylor Hall at 2:42 of overtime,
and visiting Boston beat Ottawa.
Jake DeBrusk and Brandon
Carlo also scored to help the Bru-
ins snap a two-game losing streak.
Jeremy Swayman made 29 saves.
Tim Stutzle and Nick Holden
each had goals for the Senators,
and Anton Forsberg finished with
30 saves.Coyotes trade for Ritchie
The Arizona Coyotes acquired
forward Nick Ritchie and a condi-
tional second-round draft choice
from Toronto in exchange for for-DAVID BECKER/ASSOCIATED PRESS
After Mikko Rantanen set up a teammate for the go-ahead goal, he
added an empty-netter of his own to seal the win over the Sabres.ASSOCIATED PRESSMikko Rantanen scored and as-
sisted on Alex Newhook’s tie-
breaking goal in the third period,
and the NHL-leading Colorado
Avalanche beat the Buffalo Sabres,
5-3, on the road Saturday.
Nathan MacKinnon also had a
goal and an assist and J.T. Com-
pher and Nazem Kadri scored the
other goals as Colorado extended
its season-best road winning
streak to seven. With consecutive
wins to open a four-game trip, the
Avalanche improved to 8-0-1 in its
past nine road games and 24-2-2
overall since Dec. 6.
Darcy Kuemper made 29 saves
to earn a point in his 18th consecu-
tive decision (16-0-2), extending a
franchise record.
Tage Thompson netted his first
hat trick for the Sabres, who fell to
8-14-4 at home. Jeff Skinner had
two assists, and Dustin Tokarski
stopped 31 shots.
Rantanen set up Newhook in
the slot for the go-ahead goal. It
was Newhook’s 11th, coming on a
rush after Erik Johnson knocked
down Buffalo’s Rasmus Dahlin be-
hind the Avalanche net.
Rantanen scored his 26th in the
empty net with 52 seconds left.
l BLUES 6, MAPLE LEAFS 3:
Brandon Saad, Ryan O’Reilly and
Pavel Buchnevich each scored in
St. Louis’s three-goal third period
that broke open a tie game en
route to a win in Toronto.
Buchnevich finished with two
goals, and Brayden Schenn and
Klim Kostin also scored for the
Blues. Ville Husso had 34 saves.
William Nylander had two
goals and T.J. Brodie found the net
for the first time since Jan. 5 for the
Maple Leafs. Jack Campbell
stopped 28 shots.
St. Louis was without top scorer
Vladimir Tarasenko, who was in-
jured in Montreal on Thursday. He
was listed as day-to-day with an
undisclosed injury.
l OILERS 4, JETS 2: Connor
McDavid had a goal and two as-NHL ROUNDUP
Colorado beats Bu≠alo
for 24th win in past 28
AVALANCHE 5,
SABRES 3ward Ryan Dzingel and defense-
man Ilya Lyubushkin.
Ritchie, 26, had two goals, seven
assists and 23 penalty minutes in
33 games for the Maple Leafs this
season. He has 61 goals, 85 assists
and 410 penalty minutes in 383
career games.
Dzingel had four goals, three
assists and 35 penalty minutes in
26 games with the Coyotes this
season. Lyubushkin had nine as-
sists and 26 penalty minutes in 46
games for Arizona this season.
l PENGUINS: Pittsburgh
inked defenseman Chad Ruh-
wedel to a two-year contract ex-
tension. The deal carries an aver-
age annual value of $800,000.
l STARS: Jamie Benn was fined
$5,000 for unsportsmanlike con-
duct after squirting water from
the bench into the face of the
Chicago Blackhawks’ MacKenzie
Entwistle on Friday.CAPITALS’ NEXT THREEat N ew York RangersThursday 7ESPNat Philadelphia FlyersSaturday12:30NBCSWvs. Toronto Maple LeafsFeb. 28 7:30 NBCSWRadio: WJFK (106.7 FM)