Sidney Crosby added another milestone to a career already packed with them on Friday night, climbing past Hall of Famer Joe Thornton on the NHL’s all-time assists list.
The Pittsburgh Penguins captain picked up a first-period helper on a Bryan Rust goal against the Colorado Avalanche, and that one pass pushed him to 1,110 career assists. With it, Crosby moved into seventh place all-time, nudging Thornton down a spot.
It was Crosby’s third assist to open the 2026-27 season, and it was another reminder that even deep into his late 30s, he’s still dictating the game with the puck on his stick.
Next up for Crosby is another Hall of Famer: defenseman Paul Coffey, who sits sixth on the list. Crosby is 25 assists shy of Coffey and 45 behind former Penguins star Jaromir Jagr, who holds fifth place with 1,155.
If Crosby stays healthy and appears in most of Pittsburgh’s 84 games this season, he has a real shot at reaching both. He finished last season with 45 assists in 68 games, and he had topped 50 assists in each of the previous four seasons.
And if he keeps playing beyond this year, the climb doesn’t stop there. Ron Francis, another former Penguin, is second all-time with 1,249 assists. Crosby would need 140 more to catch him, a pace that could take two or three seasons.
Wayne Gretzky remains in a different universe at No. 1 with 1,963 career assists. Crosby would need to average 60 assists a season for 14 more years to get there, a number that shows just how far ahead Gretzky finished his career.
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