Penguins’ Sidney Crosby voted smartest player in NHLPA Player Poll
Sidney Crosby is the NHL’s valedictorian.
As part of the annual NHL Players’ Association’s player poll, the longtime Pittsburgh Penguins captain was recognized as the NHL’s smartest overall player, receiving more than 27 percent of the 607 votes cast.
Skating in his 20th season with the Penguins, the phenom and future Hall of Famer continues to collect accolades, with the 2024-25 campaign marking the 20th consecutive season in which he has scored north of a point per game, toppling a record previously held by Wayne Gretzky.
In all, through 1,351 career contests, Crosby has collected 624 goals and 1,061 assists for 1,685 career points, putting him second in Penguins’ all-time scoring and just 39 points shy of surpassing Mario Lemieux for top spot, while league-wide the three-time Stanley Cup champion ranks ninth all-time. A five-time triple-digit producer, Crosby’s most offensively dominant showing came in his sophomore campaign when he racked up 120 points counting 36 goals and 84 assists in 79 outings.
Among his many accolades, Crosby has twice claimed the Art Ross Trophy as the league’s top point producer, Maurice ‘Rocket’ Richard Trophy as the leading goal scorer, Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP, and Hart Trophy as regular-season MVP.
Beyond Crosby, also receiving votes in the NHLPA poll were Tampa Bay Lightning right winger Nikita Kucherov at 24.71 percent, Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid at 11.53 percent, Florida Panthers captain and reigning Stanley Cup champion Aleksander Barkov at 6.43 percent, as well as New York Rangers rearguard Adam Fox who garnered 3.62 percent.
The poll also showed Crosby as the NHL’s most complete player, with 33.81 percent of the vote and ahead of Barkov, Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon, McDavid, Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews, as well as Los Angeles Kings captain Anze Kopitar. Crosby also led the way as the player chosen to win an important faceoff, ahead of Ryan O’Reilly of the Nashville Predators, Kopitar, Carolina Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal, and Barkov.