After an offseason of questions about when Sidney Crosby would sign a contract extension with the Pittsburgh Penguins, the 19-year veteran has done just that. On Sept. 16, Crosby and the team he has spent his entire career with agreed on a two-year extension that will go into effect next season. The contract guarantees that he will finish his illustrious career with the team that drafted him number one overall in the 2005 Draft. It will also likely put him into a rare class of players in NHL history.
Crosby On the Cusp of Rarefied Air
Sid the Kid has seen his fair share of all-time highs throughout his career. Whether winning three Stanley Cups, becoming a Triple Gold Club player (Olympic gold, World Championship gold, Stanley Cup winner), or individual accolades, he has been one of the best players in the almost two decades he has been in the NHL. With that being said, he has seen himself become one of the greatest players the league has ever seen, and with the extension finally in place, he is on the verge of entering rarefied air with only a select few players.
Related: The Wayne Gretzky Record That Sidney Crosby Is About to Break
Starting with the term of the extension pushing him to over 22 seasons with the Penguins organization, he will join a list of only 11 other players who have spent their entire career with one team while playing 20 or more seasons in the process. The list gets even smaller when looking at players who have done this on top of tallying 1,600 points, with only two players ever in Joe Sakic (Quebec Nordiques/Colorado Avalanche) and Steve Yzerman (Detroit Red Wings) doing so. Currently, Crosby is on the outside looking in at joining that list but should have no problem reaching it as he sits only four points from hitting the 1,600-career point mark.
Crosby has the opportunity to become just the second player in league history with Yzerman to tally 600 goals (he currently sits at 592), 1,600 points (1,596), 1,000 assists, 1,000 games played, and two or more Stanley Cups while playing 20 or more seasons with one organization, indeed joining some rarefied air in the history books. If things end up working out as hoped for Crosby and the Penguins organization, he will put himself in a class of his own by the time he does decide to hang up his skates.
Money Shows Crosby’s True Loyalty
Crosby has shown throughout his career that being the highest-paid player in the NHL does not matter the most to him. That is once again proven in his two-year extension, which sees him once again being paid an average annual value (AAV) of $8.7 million. Coming off the years he has had recently, he could easily have asked for more, but the No. 87 has clearly meant something even more to the Penguins captain.
As the Penguins head into a bit of a grey area for their future, keeping Crosby around seemed to be a big priority this offseason. So, being able to lock him in for another two seasons after this season was huge. However, the fact that he took the money he did allows the organization to still have some cap room to work with to help put a team around him to push for another playoff run, maybe before his career is over. His current cap hit places him tied for 40th most in the league. The loyalty shown by Crosby to the only organization he has been a part of has been astonishing and something that is not commonly seen by players of his stature or by any in professional sports anymore.
Crosby Is Truly One of One
While Alexander Ovechkin will likely join him in some categories regarding 20 or more seasons with one team, Crosby has proven throughout his time in the NHL that he is genuinely one of a kind, both on and off the ice. Penguins fans need to enjoy the ride over the next handful of seasons, because they are truly witnessing something special out of the player simply known as “Sid the Kid”.
