Hockey fans were treated to a familiar scene on Sunday night: Sidney Crosby making history.
A first-period goal off one of his patented net-front deflections tied Mario Lemieux for the most points in franchise history, and it didn’t take long for him to break it after that. Just under five minutes later, Crosby surpassed his idol’s record with a power-play assist on a Rickard Rakell goal, officially becoming the most productive player in Pittsburgh Penguins history with 1,724 points and counting.
After consecutive shutout losses in Ottawa and Montreal, it was a special night for Crosby to finally do it in front of his family and at home in front of the Pittsburgh crowd.
Adding to the moment, it all came against the Montreal Canadiens — the childhood team Crosby grew up loving. It’s a night he’ll never forget, and while he’s likely relieved to have the record behind him, it also reignites speculation about what comes next. Having now accomplished virtually everything possible as a Penguin, some are beginning to wonder whether this latest milestone could influence his openness to leaving one day.
Sportsnet insider Eric Engels touched on that idea postgame, suggesting that a trade could ultimately benefit both Crosby and the organization by allowing general manager Kyle Dubas to recoup assets for their captain.
“Crosby has already given the Penguins everything, and remarkably, ahead of his 39th birthday, he still has a chance to give them what they need more than anything while finally giving something to himself… It’ll be up to Crosby to ask for a trade to continue pursuing the only thing that’s ever mattered to him — winning — and if he does it, he’ll give the Penguins a better chance of finding the next one than if he rode out the rest of his career with them,”
The 38-year-old is in year one of the two-year, $17.4 million extension he signed with the Penguins in 2024. He pushed his season totals up to 37 points (20 goals, 17 assists) through the first 35 games with the historic goal and assist against Montreal on Sunday.
Sidney Crosby’s Situation is Going to Be Very Fluid
We’ve already seen it play out during the 2025–26 season: as the Penguins ride the highs and lows, so too does the chatter surrounding Sidney Crosby’s future in Pittsburgh.
A surprisingly strong first two months kept the noise quieter than it’s been in years. That changed quickly, though, when the Penguins dropped eight straight games prior to Sunday’s shootout win over Montreal.
For now, the focus is on Crosby’s milestone night and snapping the losing streak, but it’s hard to completely ignore what led up to it. The stretch before that was ugly, and at times it felt like there was very little light at the end of the tunnel.
Maybe the moment and the eventual return of fellow superstar Evgeni Malkin will galvanize the group and keep Pittsburgh hanging around the playoff picture. If it doesn’t, then teams like the Canadiens will undoubtedly be lurking in hopes that one of the best players of all time has a change of heart and wants to chase one more Stanley Cup before all is said and done.
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