Pittsburgh Penguins Sidney Crosby scores 500th career goal!

Pittsburgh Penguins star player Sidney Crosby hit his 500th NHL goal on Tuesday. The Penguins were playing against the Philadelphia Flyers. Halfway through the first period, Crosby scored no.500 on the play.

The Penguins’ star player scored his 500th career goal through a cross-ice pass from teammate Evgeni Malkin. Aside from the game where he scored the most against the rival, it was also his 50th goal against the other state team.

Joining Alex Ovechkin as the only active NHL player to score that much, 34-year-old Crosby hit the goals in the match’s first period. On a side note, Alex Ovechkin holds the fourth record with 759. While Crosby is a Rocket Richard winner twice as NHL’s top scorer in two seasons. (2011, 2017).

Sidney Crosby's looking for goal No. 5️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ today. pic.twitter.com/UT88NtOc8M

— NHL (@NHL) February 13, 2022

Crosby told an AT&T interview, “It feels good. Been hovering around here for a little bit, so nice to get it. Great to be at home to get it. The first goal was at home too, and I have great memories of that one. So this one will be the same, and hopefully, we can go out there and finish it off with a win.”

While Crosby is the first to score 500 goals since Patrick Marleau with the San Jose Sharks, he is also the 46th NHL player to hit that many goals. Also, he scored 14 goals this season and is the second player to score 500 for Pittsburgh.

Despite him missing the first seven games of the season after his wrist surgery on Sept.8, he debuted on Oct.30. With a 4-2 loss against the rival New Jersey Devils. Then the other five games he missed were due to the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol.

Other Achievements in NHL Career

He has scored nine in his previous 13 games and five goals in his first 25 games. This includes No.499 in their 4-2 win against the Boston Bruins last Feb.8.

500 GOALS FOR #87!

Sidney Crosby is the 46th player in NHL history, and second active player, to score 500 career goals. pic.twitter.com/tUv4ZDK1AP

— Penguins PR (@PenguinsPR) February 16, 2022

Crosby said, “I didn’t know that stat. But you know that when you play this team, you have to be up for it. It’s been that way since the first game I played them. So that hasn’t changed, and it was nice to get.”

Aside from this remarkable achievement of reaching the 500th goal, he has also won a Rocket Richard Trophy. With a title as NHL goals leader in 2009-2010. He received the award after reaching the same record as Tampa Bay Lightning forward Steven Stamkos with an NHL career-high of 51.

The achievement marks even more momentous knowing that Crosby is not a hardcore goalscorer. He’s also a two-time Olympic gold medallist and three-time Stanley Cup champion. With a record of 1,370 points in 1,077 games. It was just good enough for seventh in points per game. He displays a low-scoring stature throughout much of his career.

Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan said, “I see an incredibly driven athlete that works extremely hard every day to be at his best. I think the Penguins are the benefactors of his passion for the game. He has an incredible desire to be the best.”