Sidney Crosby was selected by his teammates as the team's most valuable player for the 2021 season, the Penguins announced on Thursday.
This is the ninth time Crosby has won the team's MVP award, the second-most in team history, trailing Mario Lemieux's 12 MVP awards.
Crosby was also awarded the Players' Player Award, "voted on by the players for the player they feel exemplifies leadership for the team both on and off the ice, and who is dedicated to teamwork."
Crosby leads the Penguins in points (60), assists (37), and is tied for the team-lead in goals (23). His 60 points rank eighth in the NHL.
On April 24, Crosby recorded his 55th point of the season, ensuring that he will have at least a point-per-game season for the 16th straight year, since 55 games is the maximum he could potentially play this season.
Crosby moved into third all-time for the most point-per-game seasons in NHL history, passing Lemieux, Mark Messier, Ron Francis, Marcel Dionne, and Joe Sakic, who are all tied with 15 straight point-per-game seasons.
The only players with more? Gordie Howe, who had 17, and Wayne Gretzky, who had 19. Only Gretzky and Crosby have began their careers with 16 or more consecutive point-per-game seasons.
"It's nice," Crosby said after securing his 16th point-per-game season. "Anytime you're mentioned with Gordie Howe and Wayne Gretzky, that's pretty neat. It's also a reminder of how long I've played, too. I think it's a compliment being in that company."
