Penguins' Sidney Crosby again wins NHLPA poll for most complete player

Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby may not win another scoring title or Hart Memorial Trophy.

Unless of course Crosby has a 100-point campaign — requisite territory for both of the aforementioned accomplishments these days — in his system in the years to come, which, seeing the level Crosby continues to play, isn’t out of the realm of possibility.

The 36-year-old Crosby may not find himself atop the NHL’s points leaderboard anymore, but among his peers in the league, his abilities remain highly respected.

The NHLPA released its ninth annual Player Poll Wednesday morning, which surveyed 639 participating players on 15 hockey-related questions.

For the fifth straight year, Crosby finished either tied for or in outright first place when participants were asked: “Who is the most complete player?”

Sidney Crosby continues to be recognized as the most well-rounded player on the ice – the @Penguins captain has won or tied atop the #NHLPAPlayerPoll most complete player category for five straight seasons! pic.twitter.com/EjX9MS5QQT

— NHLPA (@NHLPA) April 10, 2024

Crosby garnered 38.37% of the votes this year, besting second-place Alexsander Barkov of the Florida Panthers (14.6%) by a considerable margin.

Per the NHLPA release, Crosby saw an increase of 48 votes (8.27%) from last season in the most complete player category.

Also receiving votes were the Los Angeles Kings’ Anze Kopitar, Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers and Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche.

When asked, “If you need to win one game, who is the forward you want on your team?” 11.58% of respondents voted for Crosby, who was second behind McDavid (48.71%).

Crosby leads the Penguins in goals (40), assists (46) and points (86) this year, with his total points ranking 15th in the NHL.

He also ranks third in the NHL with a 58.5% success rate in the faceoff circle, a prowess that earned him second place behind the Nashville Predators’ Ryan O’Reilly when players were asked whom they’d turn to win a faceoff.

O’Reilly (14.49%, 80 votes) just edged Crosby, who received 13.59% (75 votes).

On Monday, Crosby was named the NHL’s Second Star for the week ending April 7. He had five goals and an assist in four games last week as the team went 4-0 and vaulted up the Eastern Conference standings to remain in playoff contention.