PITTSBURGH — Sidney Crosby is the newest member of the NHL’s 1,000-point club.
The Pittsburgh Penguins star became the 86th player in league history to reach 1,000 career points when he assisted on Chris Kunitz’s goal 6:28 into the first period Thursday night against Winnipeg.
Crosby’s helper gave him 632 assists to go with 368 goals. The 29-year-old reached the milestone in 757 games, making him the 12th fastest to the mark.
The sellout crowd at PPG Paints Arena erupted when Crosby outworked Winnipeg’s Blake Wheeler to get to a loose puck in the left circle then slid it over to Kunitz in the slot. Kunitz powered it into the wide open net to give Pittsburgh a 2-0 lead, and Crosby saluted the crowd during the next stoppage in play. Crosby is the third Penguin to reach 1,000 points with the franchise, joining Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr.
Crosby later provided a match-winning exclamation mark, poking the puck over the goal line with 21 seconds left in overtime to give the Penguins a 4-3 victory.
“It’s nice to win the game when you have a memorable night like this,” Crosby said. The Canadian’s milestone is not only testament to Crosby’s brilliance but also something equally as important: longevity. It’s something the two-time Stanley Cup champion, two-time Hart Trophy winner and two-time Olympic gold medalist does not take for granted.
A collision with Washington’s David Steckel during the 2011 Winter Classic left Crosby concussed and brought the star’s career to an abrupt halt. He missed the better part of two calendar years trying to recover, and the long days in solitude left him wondering if he’d ever return to the level that made him the face of the sport.
When he was diagnosed with another concussion last October, he pleaded patience rather than anxiousness. He sat out the first six games of the season but returned with a vengeance. He leads the league in goals and is on pace to surpass his personal best of 51 he put up in 2009-10.
The puck from his 1,000th point will eventually end up in the hands of Crosby’s father Troy, the designated curator of his son’s ever increasing cache of memorabilia. It’s a decision they made together after Crosby admittedly did little to keep track of things when he piled up achievements at a ridiculous rate when he literally was Sid the Kid.
Now Crosby will skate on, relieved that the countdown to 1,000 is over and eager to get back to his real mission: defending the Stanley Cup he led the Penguins to last June.
Oilers 6, Flyers 3
Connor McDavid reclaimed the NHL scoring lead with 66 points after a three-point night — a goal and two assists — as Edmonton beat Philadelphia.
Senators 3, Devils 0
Dion Phaneuf’s power-play goal with 1:59 remaining in the second period was the only offense Mike Condon needed as Ottawa defeated New Jersey at Prudential Center.
Islanders 4, Rangers 2
John Tavares set up Nikolay Kulemin for the winning short-handed goal 3:03 into the third period as the Islanders continued their recent success over the Rangers.
Blues 4, Canucks 3
Vladimir Tarasenko scored a power-play goal 58 seconds into the third period to break a tie and send St Louis over Vancouver for their season-high sixth consecutive victory.
Wild 3, Stars 1
Darcy Kuemper made 34 saves, and Erik Haula had a goal and assist as Minnesota beat Dallas.
Coyotes 5, Kings 3
Brendan Perlini and Jordan Martinook scored two goals apiece as Arizona stopped Los Angeles.
Sabres 2, Avalanche 0
Robin Lehner made 23 saves to lead Buffalo over Colorado.
Sam Reinhart and Evander Kane scored for the Sabres, who picked up back-to-back wins for the first time this month. — Agencies
