Shortly after surpassing Wayne Gretzky in an elite NHL milestone, Sidney Crosby issued a strong message about one of his best teammates on the Pittsburgh Penguins.

© Cole Burston/Getty Images Sidney Crosby #87 of the Pittsburgh Penguins poses for his portrait prior to the 2024 Honda NHL All-Star Game on February 03, 2024.

The Pittsburgh Penguins are mired in a deflating NHL season, as the team seems pretty much out of contention for a Stanley Cup Playoffs berth. However, star Sidney Crosby continues to put up incredible performances and set all kinds of new records. After breaking one of the dozens of records held by Wayne Gretzky, the Pens’ captain issued a blunt admission about one of his best teammates.

All the attention revolved around Crosby as he scored a goal during the Penguins’ 7-3 defeat to the Buffalo Sabres, registering his 20th consecutive season scoring at a point-per-game rate. After missing two games in the current season, Crosby reached the 80-point mark on the campaign, and surpassed Gretzky for most point-per-game seasons in the NHL.

Crosby added another goal to his season tally during the Penguins’ latest outing, a 1-0 overtime victory against the Ottawa Senators. While his achievement is remarkable and may never be repeated in the NHL, Crosby humbly downplayed it, instead shifting the spotlight to his longtime teammate Evgeni Malkin, who has consistently delivered impressive stat lines alongside him year after year.

While Malkin has recorded 46 points in 62 games this season and is unlikely to reach the point-per-game mark, Crosby emphasized his teammate’s consistency over the years. Malkin boasts an impressive 15 seasons of scoring at a point-per-game pace on his résumé.

Wayne Gretzky attends the Stanley Cup Finals Game 4 Nashville Predators Vs. Pittsburgh Penguins at Bridgestone Arena at Bridgestone Arena on June 5, 2017 in Nashville, Tennessee.

“I see and understand how difficult it is,” Crosby stated about Malkin’s accolade, via Pens Inside Scoop on X. “It’s unbelievable that he’s been able to do that. Being able to play with someone who’s been doing that, year after year, I feel pretty fortunate.”

Message for Jarry

The Penguins escaped with a critical win to keep their playoff hopes alive, after surviving in a grueling, physical matchup with the Senators. Crosby delivered the lone goal of the night during sudden-death overtime, and sent a strong message to goaltender Tristan Jarry, who entered the game after some rough outings.

“[Jarry’s] continuing to just work and battle” Crosby stated. “We didn’t give our goalies much help on [the road] trip. Nice to come back home and play a little bit better in front of them. And he obviously made some big saves on some mistakes that we made.”

A rookie’s dream

Rutger McGroarty was selected by the Winnipeg Jets with the 14th overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft. However, he was traded to the Penguins on August of that same year, where he made his debut earlier this season.

Evgeni Malkin #71 of the Pittsburgh Penguins during the first period of the NHL game against the Arizona Coyotes at Mullett Arena on January 22, 2024 in Tempe, Arizona.

Recently, McGroarty was called up the lineup, and even had a dream come true as he played alongside Crosby during some stretches of the game against Ottawa. After the game, which took place during his 21st birthday, McGroarty issued an honest, yet hilarious confession.

“I love my parents and my sister and my girlfriend, but no present they’ve ever got me could live up to that,” Rutger McGroarty admitted postgame, via Pens Inside Scoop.