Sidney Crosby still has chance for best age-36 season ever
The Pens are out of the playoffs, but the captain has done his part
Way back in November we talked a little about Sidney Crosby and his hot start setting him up to make a run for one of the best age-36 seasons ever recorded in the NHL.
With one more game to go, a happy update on this gloomy day is that he’s still right there.
Crosby already has the most productive age-36 year of anyone in relatively recent memory, out-doing what Evgeni Malkin did last year and Alex Ovechkin could manage two seasons ago.
It’s the picture of consistency for Sid, who scored 93 points last season for the fifth best age-35 season in NHL history (and best since Martin St. Louis).
Looking ahead, it’s a tough road ahead for 37-year olds. Joe Sakic has set the pace with 100 points in 2006-07. Mario Lemieux had his last best season in 2002-03 at age-37 in a 91-point effort. 12 total players have put up 70+ points at that advanced age, and six have managed 80+. The drop off becomes steep after that point when Father Time eventually inevitably wins every battle.
Granted that Crosby certainly cares not about age-36 stats and only the failed quest to drag his team into the playoffs, but a tacking on a couple more points tonight would put a bow on what has been an incredibly successful individual season for the Pittsburgh captain.