Is Sidney Crosby a Hall of Famer?

By: Calem Illig (@CalemIllig)

If Sidney Crosby were to retire today, how would he be viewed by the hockey nation? Crosby is the greatest player in the game of hockey as of now, but does it merit an entrance into the NHL's shrine? The Hockey Hall of Fame is the most prestigious group of hockey players from all over the world, and only the best get in. With Crosby’s achievements over his 11 year career, he is no doubt a future hall of famer.

When Crosby entered the NHL draft in 2005, he was the most sought after player by every team. The draft that year was dubbed “the Crosby sweepstakes” and the Pittsburgh Penguins were the lucky winners. Ever since that day, Crosby has been the face of the NHL. He’s the league’s most recognizable (and marketable) player, as well as probably being one of the least liked players aside from Pittsburgh fans. Crosby has been a difficult player to shut down over his career, and only the greatest pests (Brandon Dubinsky) have been able to get under Sidney’s skin. Even players like Ryan Kesler or Patrice Bergeron have had difficulty containing “the next great one.”

Over his 11 year career, Crosby has tallied 327 goals and 909 points in only 684 career games. That’s a career average of 1.3 points per game, aside from the fact that Crosby has dealt with numerous concussions. Pavel Datsyuk is a player that many view as a first ballot hall of famer. Over his career, Datsyuk has 904 points over 932 games in his 14 year career. That accounts for less than a point per game, and though Datsyuk is an elite defensive forward, that puts into perspective just how much of a scoring threat Crosby actually is. Take into consideration as well that Crosby’s typical linemates while in his prime have been Chris Kunitz and Pascal Dupuis, both undrafted forwards.

In Peter Forsberg’s 16 year career, he totaled 249 goals and 885 points in 708 games. Crosby has already passed his totals playing in 24 fewer games. In 18 years, Sergei Fedorov scored 483 goals and 1179 points while playing in 1248 games. Though Fedorov was a three time Stanley Cup Champion, he averaged less than a point per game over his career compared to Crosby’s 1.3 points per game. Crosby’s points per game will most likely decrease later in his career once he’s past his prime, but the stats he has now are already hall of fame worthy. Pavel Bure played in the NHL for 13 years, scoring 779 points in 702 games. Compare those numbers to Sidney’s and that’s a huge difference. Crosby has also played in a time period where league scoring has been at its lowest point, compared to Bure playing in a more prominent scoring period.

In 2009, Sidney Crosby became the youngest captain in NHL history to win the Stanley Cup at only 21 years old. The next year, Crosby scored the “golden goal” in overtime against Team USA to give Canada the gold medal at the olympics. He was able to guide Team Canada again to gold, this time as captain, as Canada defeated the United States by a score of 3-0. In the 2015 World Championships, Crosby defeated teammate Evgeni Malkin and his Russian team 6-1 to win the IIHF World Championship. Crosby joined the Triple Gold Club (Stanley Cup, Olympic Gold, World Championship Gold) and became only the 26th player in NHL history to accomplish this feat. Neither Wayne Gretzky or Mario Lemieux are in this group. Crosby entered this group by the age of 27, compared to a player like Jaromir Jagr who didn’t make it until age 33.

Since 2005, Crosby has simply been the best. He has won the scoring title twice (2007, 2014) as well as being elected MVP in both of those seasons. He has been voted as the league’s best player three times (2007, 2013, 2014) and scored 51 goals to tie Steven Stamkos for the league lead in goals. He was a 5 time all-star as well as a two time recipient of the Mark Messier Leadership award, which is given to the league’s superior leader and captain. In Pavel Bure’s hall of fame career, he was the league leader in goals twice. Peter Forsberg was a one time scoring champion and MVP. Jari Kurri lead the league in goals once. Comparing Crosby’s individual achievements to these hall of famers shows just how dominant he has been in this day and age of the NHL.

Though Mario Lemieux saved the franchise from relocation, Sidney Crosby was the one who made the Penguins a powerhouse again. Both the Mellon Arena and Consol Energy Center have had over a 400 game sellout streak dating back to 2007, something that never would've happened without Crosby. Sidney’s jersey is always near the top in sales by fans and it’s not unusual to see his name plastered next to something by Reebok. Crosby is the face of the NHL, simply the best.

It’s not everyday you get to see the best player in the world, unless you’re a Penguins fan. Crosby should qualify for the Hall of Fame today, and he still has a long career to go. Though Sidney will probably never break any of Wayne Gretzky's records, he will be known as one of the greatest to play the game.