Sidney Crosby passes Hall of Famer Joe Thornton on NHL all-time leaderboard

Next on the list for Crosby is Hall of Fame defenseman Paul Coffey in the No. 6 spot. Crosby is 25 away from matching him, and 45 away from former Penguins great Jaromir Jagr (1,155) in the No. 5 all-time spot.

Assuming he stays healthy and is able to play in most of the Penguins' 84 games this season, there is a good chance he can pass both Coffey and Jagr. He had 45 assists in 68 games a year ago, and he topped the 50-assist mark in each of the previous four seasons. 

So it is all within reach.

Given that Crosby seems determined to play beyond this season, he has a chance to climb as high as No. 2 on the all-time list.

Ron Francis (another former Penguin) is second on the list with 1,249 assists. Crosby would need 140 assists to pass him. At his current pace, that might take another two or three years.

Wayne Gretzky is in the top spot at 1,963 career assists. Crosby would need to average 60 assists per season for another 14 years to match that total. That is a testament to the absurd numbers Gretzky accumulated in his career.