No one at this point needs any convincing when it comes to Sidney Crosby’s standing as one of the NHL’s best players at his position.
In fact, one could argue that the Penguins center is the very best in the entire sport, and a recent poll of people within the game produced that very consensus. The NHLPA on Tuesday revealed its 2024-25 Player Poll, and Crosby landed the No. 1 spot for the Most Complete Player by a relatively close margin.
A total of 663 NHL players were asked 12 hockey-related questions for the 2024-25 NHLPA Player Poll, with 213 votes going to Crosby in the category. Florida Panthers center Aleksander Barkov finished second in the category for a second straight season, just 18 votes behind Sid after finishing 140 votes behind him in the 2023-24 NHLPA Player Poll.
Crosby also took the top honors for the forward the players would pick of they needed to win a faceoff. The margin of victory in this category was a landslide over second-place finisher Ryan O’Reilly of the Nashville Predators. Crosby took home 20.39% of the vote, with O’Reilly earning just 9.95%.
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The Penguins captain was also voted the smartest player by his peers, beating out Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov in a close race. Kucherov received 150 votes, while Crosby earned 14 more to claim the trifecta of top-place finishes.
The three-time Stanley Cup champion also earned votes for best overall forward, won by Connor McDavid by a landslide with 73.89%, and best playmaker, the one category in which Kucherov bested Crosby.
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