Crosby passes 1600 NHL points for Penguins in game against Sabres

After the game, the Penguins captain chose not to discuss his milestone, highlighting Malkin instead.

“I think whether it’s moments like tonight or things we’ve shared, good and bad, it’s been pretty incredible to be part of the team and play with him over this amount of time,” said Crosby, Malkin’s teammate of 19 seasons. “I think we just care a lot about the team. We want to win. We expect a lot of each other. But I think there’s a lot of respect there too.

“Obviously, we might not have the same personality. But I think there’s a lot of respect.”

Crosby is second in Penguins history in points (1,602), goals (593) and assists (1,009), trailing Lemieux in each (1,723 points; 690 goals; 1,033 assists). Malkin is third with 1,307 points, 500 goals and 807 assists.

“I’m glad he score, like, 1,600 points,” Malkin said. “He deserves every point. He’s the leader, captain. He works, like, every practice. ... He deserves, like, overtime goal and each point.”

Selected No. 1 in the 2005 NHL Draft, Crosby signed a two-year, $17.4 million contract ($8.7 million average annual value) on Sept. 16, 2024, keeping him with the Penguins through the 2026-27 season.

“You look at the guys and the people that have been in this organization over the time that we’ve been here, so that helps a lot too,” Crosby said. “You can go right through all the players, management, everyone that’s been part of this organization. Ownership. We’ve been pretty fortunate to be here.”

Crosby, named to the 100 Greatest NHL Players in January 2017, has won the Stanley Cup three times. At age 21, he became the youngest captain of a championship team when Pittsburgh defeated the Detroit Red Wings in seven games of the 2009 Stanley Cup Final before winning the Conn Smythe Trophy as MVP of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2016 and 2017.

The native of Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia, earned recognition on Dec. 29, 2022, as an Officer of the Order of Canada "for being one of the greatest hockey players of all time and for supporting community service initiatives for youth." The Order of Canada is one of the country's highest honors that recognizes people across all sectors of society who have made extraordinary and sustained contributions.

NHL.com staff writer Mike Zeisberger contributed to this report