Sidney Crosby is now the Pittsburgh Penguins‘ all-time leading scorer, passing legend Mario Lemieux.
Crosby picked up a goal and an assist in the first period against the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday, Dec. 21 to give him 1,724 career points, all with the Penguins. That moved him past Hall of Famer Lemieux, who had been the Penguins’ leader since he passed Rick Kehoe in 1989.
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Crosby also moves into sole possession of eighth place on the all-time NHL scoring list by passing Lemieux.
He scored his 20th goal of the season, then set up Rickard Rakell on the power play for the milestone point. Teammates streamed onto the ice to congratulate him.
Lemieux got his point total in 915 games (in two stints after coming out of retirement in 2000) as he dominated despite battling back problems and missing time for cancer treatment. Crosby, who had concussion issues early in his career, has played 1,387 games.
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Lemieux was drafted No. 1 overall in 1984 and helped turn around the franchise, winning Stanley Cup titles in 1991 and 1992.
Crosby, too, was a No. 1 overall draft pick and had a similar impact on the Penguins and the NHL after being selected in 2005 following a season-long lockout. He has led the Penguins to three championships.
Crosby’s first season (2005-26) was Lemieux’s last in the league. Lemieux, the Penguins co-owner at the time, had the generational prospect stay at his house early in his career, knowing he would be a special player.
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Crosby has shown that and more.
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NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season
Young Detroit Red Wings fans make as much noise as they can during the third period at Little Caesars Arena.
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NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season
Young Detroit Red Wings fans make as much noise as they can during the third period at Little Caesars Arena.
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NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season
Carolina Hurricanes and former Winnipeg Jets left wing Nikolaj Ehlers (27) tosses a puck to a fan in his return to Canada Life Centre.
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NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season
A young fan watches the action during the third period of the game between the Utah Mammoth and San Jose Sharks at SAP Center at San Jose.
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NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season
Hockey fans hold up signs before a Global Series ice hockey game between the Nashville Predators and the Pittsburgh Penguins at Avicii Arena.
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NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season
Hockey fans hold up signs before a Global Series ice hockey game between the Nashville Predators and the Pittsburgh Penguins at Avicii Arena.
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NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season
Minnesota Wild mascot Nordy poses for photos with fans during the first period of the game against the Winnipeg Jets at Grand Casino Arena.
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NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season
Seattle Kraken mascot Buoy celebrates with goalie Joey Daccord (35) after a victory against the Chicago Blackhawks at Climate Pledge Arena.
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NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season
Colorado Avalanche fans cheer in the first period against the Buffalo Sabres at Ball Arena.
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NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season
A Colorado Avalanche fans holds up a sign for Colorado Avalanche goaltender Scott Wedgewood in the third period against the Anaheim Ducks at Ball Arena.
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NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season
A young fan sees her reflection in the arena glass during a game between the New York Rangers and the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena.
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NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season
Minnesota Wild mascot Nordy poses for photos with fans during the first period of the game against the Winnipeg Jets at Grand Casino Arena.
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NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season
A San Jose Sharks fan dresses in costume for Halloween during a game against the New Jersey Devils at SAP Center.
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NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season
Tusky, the new Utah Mammoth mascot, is introduced to the fans before the game against the Calgary Flames at Delta Center.
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NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season
A San Jose Sharks fan reacts after her team scores during the second period against the Carolina Hurricanes.
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NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season
A Boston Bruins fan cheers for the team during the second period against the Philadelphia Flyers at TD Garden.
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NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season
Philadelphia Flyers mascot Gritty performs before a game against the Florida Panthers
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NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season
Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski (8) greets fans on the blue carpet before opening night against the New York Islanders.
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NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season
Fans reach for a puck flipped over the glass by Vancouver Canucks forward Linus Karlsson (94) during warmup before a game against the St. Louis Blues.
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NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season
Calgary Flames mascot Harvey the Hound before a game against the Winnipeg Jets.
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NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season
Dallas Stars center Wyatt Johnston signs autographs for the fans as he walks the green carpet before the game between the Dallas Stars and the Minnesota Wild.
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NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season
Tampa Bay Lightning mascot Thunderbug celebrates after beating the Florida Panthers at Benchmark International Arena.
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NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season
Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury (29) skates past fans holding signs during warmups before the game against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Fleury suited up for the Penguins one last time during the preseason game.
In addition to the three Stanley Cups, he has won two points titles and two goal titles and was voted regular-season and playoff MVP twice. Like Lemieux, he was named to the NHL’s 100th anniversary team.
Last year, he broke Wayne Gretzky’s record with a 20th season averaging at least a point a game. He’s averaging that again this season. He has 645 goals and 1,079 assists in his career.
Next up on the scoring list for Crosby is No. 7 Steve Yzerman at 1,755.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Sidney Crosby passes Mario Lemieux for Penguins’ all-time points lead