Kris Letang dispensed with any cliches or canned answers. Sidney Crosby had to inject a little self-deprecation. The two members of the Pittsburgh Penguins’ championship core had momentous evenings and were clearly a little bit humbled by them.

After Wednesday, no one in Penguins history has accumulated more points in the regular season and playoffs than Crosby. He surpassed Mario Lemieux by posting his combined 1896th point.

Letang burnished his Hall of Fame credentials by becoming just the 20th defenseman all-time to record 600 assists. He is now one of just four active defenseman to reach the mark, joining teammate Erik Karlsson, Brent Burns, and Victor Hedman.

When asked about his personal satisfaction in reaching the milestone, Letang was reflective and grateful, but also put his career in a different perspective. To him, it’s all found money, icing on the cake, gravy, and merely part of a dream come true.

“From the beginning, I always said to people, I didn’t think I’d get here. It’s just pretty surreal for me to get to that point,” Letang said. “It also (means), I’ve played for a full 20 years, it’s the type of thing that will come along the way. I was just happy to be a hockey player–it’s special to grab those (records).”

Letang has played in 1168 NHL games and has now amassed 775 points. The Penguins released the locker room video of Letang accepting the player of the game helmet, and as he put it on, he thanked Crosby and the third pillar of the core, Evgeni Malkin, “for giving me all of those goals.”

Crosby, Malkin, and Letang are playing their 20th season together, a record in professional sports. The trio has won three Stanley Cups together, as well as been through far too many trials and tribulations to count.

“To become one of 20 players to ever do that in the history of the NHL, there’s a lot to appreciate. I think it’s an amazing accomplishment. I feel like it’s every couple of days here that we’re talking about another new (milestone) that’s coming up with somebody,” said coach Dan Muse. “I don’t think anybody here, and I say this in the locker room, is taking any of this for granted–to be able to be watching greatness firsthand.”

Sidney Crosby

As a rookie, the hyper-competitive Crosby lived with former Penguins’ owner Lemieux. The arrangement lasted for a few years before Crosby eventually moved out, but the respect and admiration Crosby has for Lemieux has always been evident.

So, it was no surprise that Crosby duly noted that it took him a lot more games to record his 1896th point than it did Lemieux.

“Yeah, I mean it’s probably 500 more games, and I’ve been here for a long time and fortunate to play with some great players,” said Crosby. “So, that’s how I look at it.”

Crosby has played a combined 1534 regular-season and playoff games, while Lemieux played 1022.

“He means a lot (to me) … And then be able to learn from someone like him who (had) been through so much and played at the level that he did, and went through the adversity that he did, and his family as a whole (means a lot),” Crosby said. “You know, he was so important. I don’t know if I can put into words how much (Lemieux and family) means, but it has meant a lot, and I really cherish that relationship and his family and everything that they’ve done for me.”

Of course, one could only wonder what kind of point totals Crosby would have posted in the salad days of the 1980s NHL when Lemieux came into the league. Fifty-goal scorers were much more plentiful, and Wayne Gretzky was able to exceed 200 points in three straight seasons.

Tags: Kris Letang Pittsburgh Penguins Sidney Crosby

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