The Pittsburgh Penguins are not the powerhouse organization they were 10 years ago, when Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang were running amuck on the entire league with wreckless abandon. Now, all three are 37 or older, and their best NHL days are unfortunately behind them.
Sidney Crosby is attempting to defy that logic with the Penguins, as he tries to earn his 20th season averaging a point per game. The state of his offensive game is unclear. He's posted 90 points or more in each of the past two seasons, but everyone continues to wonder when the wheels will fall off one of the greatest players to ever live.
Despite the numerous questions surrounding the Penguins' organization and the direction they are heading, what remains unquestioned after all these years is Crosby's leadership. Named captain in Pittsburgh on May 31, 2007, he's the longest serving and most successful captain over those 17 years wearing the "C". Which is why Joe Yerdon of Bleacher Report recently named him the best captain in the NHL.
"Sidney Crosby being our No. 1 pick probably shouldn't be too big of a surprise," he wrote. "It's not only because out of everyone we ranked, he's won the most Stanley Cups (three in four appearances), but it's also because he's been captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins since he was 20 years old and has helped them weather two distinct eras in which they've won the Stanley Cup."
Coming up just behind Crosby on the ranking were Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid and long-time rival Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals. The rankings were pretty spot on, with McDavid getting a bit of a bump for his dominance over the league since 2015.
For Crosby, little is left to achieve in his NHL career. He's won league MVP awards, goal scoring titles, olympic gold medals, and three Stanley Cup victories. He sits second on the Penguins' all-time scoring list, chasing Hall of Famer and former mentor Mario Lemieux. With 1,596 career points, he trails Lemieux by 127 points, something he can absolutely surpass by the time his career is finished. In the meantime he remains the Penguins' best player and the NHL's best captain.
