Sidney Crosby’s 3 Hall of Fame Careers

On Oct. 21, 2025, Sidney Crosby claimed a record that was once thought to be unbreakable. With 1,896 regular-season and playoff points, he became the all-time franchise leader in scoring for the Pittsburgh Penguins. The great Mario Lemieux sits in second place.

That got me thinking about an old discussion about Tom Brady. When you break it down, the National Football League (NFL) quarterback had three Hall of Fame careers in one. With three Super Bowl titles between 2000 and 2006, that timeline is a no-brainer. From 2007 to 2013, he was voted the league’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) twice and appeared in two Super Bowls. Then, from 2014 until his retirement, he won four more titles and another MVP Award.

The same can be applied to Crosby. He is, for all intents and purposes, the NHL’s version of “TB12.”

Crosby’s First Hall of Fame Career: 2003–04 to 2009–10

NHL stats (including playoffs): 433 games played, 213 goals, 375 assists, 588 points (most), plus-67 rating

Accolades: 3x NHL All-Star, 1x Olympic Gold Medal, 1x Stanley Cup, 1x Hart Trophy, 1x Art Ross Trophy, 1x Ted Lindsay Award, 1x Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy, 1x Stanley Cup Playoffs Scoring Title, 1x World Championship Scoring Title, 1x World Junior Championship Gold Medal, 1x Mark Messier Leadership Award

Crosby began his journey to the Hall of Fame before he was even drafted. He was so dominant in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) as a 16-year-old that he represented Canada at the World Junior Championship for players under the age of 20. By his second trip in 2004–05—again, before he was drafted—”Sid the Kid” was already one of the team’s most prolific producers, with six goals in as many games.

From the time he made his Penguins debut in 2005–06 through 2009–10, Crosby’s numbers and accolades were already legendary. The league’s best overall point-scorer, a Stanley Cup win just under four calendar years after being drafted first overall, and perhaps the most memorable goal in hockey history—that’s worthy of an induction into the Hall of Fame.

Crosby’s Second Hall of Fame Career: 2010–11 to 2015–16

NHL stats: 398 games played, 174 goals, 313 assists, 487 points (most points per game; minimum 100 games played), plus-92 rating

Accolades: 2x Ted Lindsay Award, 2x NHL All-Star, 1x Olympic Gold Medal, 1x Stanley Cup, 1x Conn Smythe Trophy, 1x Hart Trophy, 1x Art Ross Trophy, 1x World Championship Gold Medal

This is around the time when concussions really started to impact Crosby’s career, as he missed extensive time. But the stats speak for themselves. If you take out Pavel Zacha’s two points in one game, Crosby’s point-per-game pace between 2010–11 and 2015–16 (still including the playoffs) is the most in the NHL. Sure, you’d like a bigger sample size than 398 games, but being the best player in the world for six seasons is no small feat.