<\/p>\n
The Pittsburgh Penguins<\/a> lost to the New York Rangers on Thursday, but Sidney Crosby still managed to reach a personal milestone that has him inching closer to a Wayne Gretzky record. <\/p>\n With his two assists in the Penguins’ 4-2 loss, he reached 83 points for the 2022-23 season. That means he is guaranteed to finish the season with at least a one-point per game average. It is the 18th consecutive season he has done so<\/a>, reaching that mark in every single one of his seasons in the NHL.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n That is just one season short of the all-time record set by Wayne Gretzky, who averaged at least one point per game in 19 consecutive seasons.<\/p>\n Gordie Howe (17 consecutive seasons) is the only other player besides Crosby and Gretzky to reach that mark in more than 16 consecutive seasons.\u00a0<\/p>\n It is a testament not only to Crosby’s greatness, but also his durability to still be such a top-tier player even into his late 30s. While Gretzky played the bulk of his career in the highest-scoring era of all-time (the 1980s and early 1990s), Crosby entered the NHL and played the early part of his career in one of the lowest-scoring eras with some of the best goaltending the league has ever seen. He also lost a significant portion of his prime years between 2010-11 and 2012-13 to head and neck injuries.\u00a0<\/p>\n Despite all of that, he has remained one of the most productive players in league history. Also one of the most consistent.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n