On Friday night, Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby skated in his 1,300th NHL game, becoming only the second player from the 2005 Draft to reach the milestone, following Los Angeles Kings captain Anze Kopitar.
Eventually, the two will be joined by San Jose Sharks defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic, who is at 1,296 games and has yet to skate this season, out of the lineup since September with a back injury.
Although Crosby wasn’t the first player to reach 1,300 games, he is the leading scorer from his draft class and the only one to surpass 1,300 points.
After his most recent game, the Penguins captain has 1,622 points, while Kopitar is second on the list with 1,241. The pair are the only ones to reach 1,000 points in the NHL.
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Historically, Crosby is now the 72nd NHL player to reach 1,300 games, and his next contest on Dec. 7 against the Toronto Maple Leafs will tie him with his former teammate Sergei Gonchar at 1,301.
If he remains healthy and plays in every game this season, Crosby could finish 55th on the NHL’s all-time list, surpassing Ron Stewart (1,353) and just nine behind Hall of Famer Jeremy Roenick (1,363).
Moreover, if Crosby plays every game left on his contract, which expires in July 2027, he could surpass recent U.S. Hockey Hall of Famer and former teammate Matt Cullen, who is 20th all-time in games with 1,516.
Finally, Crosby became only the sixth first-overall pick to skate in 1,300 games, joining a list that features Joe Thornton (1,714), Mike Modano (1,499), Alex Ovechkin (1,444), Roman Hamrlik (1,395), and Mats Sundin (1,346).
