Sidney Crosby made his NHL debut in the fall of 2005 and has been worth every cent and then some for the Penguins. Dennis Schneidler-USA TODAY Sports

Penguins' Sidney Crosby now has highest career earnings in NHL history

The Pittsburgh Penguins were recently bounced from the first round of the playoffs for the third straight year, but salary-cap tracking service CapFriendly reports that Pittsburgh captain and superstar Sidney Crosby has more than 100 million reasons to smile as spring turns to summer. 

Crosby has now passed former NHL star and Pittsburgh all-time great Jaromir Jagr to sit atop the list for the highest career earnings in the league's history: 

Crosby made his NHL debut in the fall of 2005 and has been worth every cent and then some for the Penguins. He's guided Pittsburgh to three Stanley Cup titles and, per the club's official website, to 15 consecutive postseason appearances. For a piece produced by The Athletic's Josh Yohe in June 2020, hockey legend Bobby Orr said he believes Crosby to be among the top five players in the sport's history. 

As for the immediate future, Wes Crosby of the NHL's website noted that Pittsburgh's Crosby told reporters after this latest playoff disappointment that he doesn't believe the franchise should dismantle the core that includes himself, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang while the club's championship window remains at least cracked open. 

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