More than two decades after arriving as the so-called “next one,” Sidney Crosby is simply number one.

On Sunday, during a 4-3 shootout win against the Montreal Canadiens at PPG Paints Arena, he claimed perhaps the most cherished record in the history of the Pittsburgh Penguins — if not the entire city’s sporting endeavors — by surpassing the nonpareil Mario Lemieux for the most career points in the 58-year existence of the franchise.

A secondary assist on a power-play goal by forward Rickard Rakell at 12 minutes, 40 seconds of the first period gave Crosby 1,724 points (645 goals, 1,079 assists). He largely approached the record at a consistent, steady pace over 1,387 career games in his first 21 seasons as an NHLer.

In contrast, Lemieux aggressively assaulted his mark of 1,723 points (690 goals, 1,033) in a mere 915 contests over the 17 seasons his body allowed him to play.

Currently a minority owner of the club, Lemieux had been the franchise’s leader in career scoring for nearly as long as the 38-year-old Crosby has been alive.

“He’s still number one in my book,” Crosby said of Lemieux. “I don’t think you can put a stat line or a number on what he means to this team and to hockey.

“In my mind, he’s still number one.”

Crosby also surpassed Lemieux for eighth place on the NHL’s career scoring list.

Lemieux became the Penguins’ top career scorer after he broke the previous record held by forward Rick Kehoe (636 points) during a 7-3 road loss to the Winnipeg Jets on Jan. 20, 1989.

In total, Crosby had a regulation goal and an assist on Sunday.

Of more contemporary concerns, Crosby’s offense helped the Penguins break out of some hideous doldrums as they snapped an eight-game losing streak (0-4-4).

The Penguins won their first shootout of the season thanks to goals by forward Kevin Hayes and Rakell. They had lost their first five games that had gone to a shootout this season.

Rookie goaltender Arturs Silovs was on the wrong end of most of those shootout losses but stood tall in that domain on Sunday as he denied two of the Canadiens’ three attempts.

In regulation and overtime, Silovs stopped 22 of 25 shots as his record improved to 5-5-6.

“That’s a huge day for us,” said Silovs, who broke his own seven-game losing streak. “Sid did an amazing job. Breaking a franchise record. You don’t see that every day. Fantastic player. And managing to win as a team effort, that’s the cherry on the top.

“That’s a great day to play hockey.”

It has largely been great days for hockey in Pittsburgh over the past 40-plus years since Lemieux arrived as the NHL’s top overall draft pick in 1984. The way he has elevated the sport has been sustained — if not amplified — by his worthy successor, Crosby, the top selection of the 2005 NHL draft.

“He is the Pittsburgh Penguins, him and Mario,” said Bryan Rust, Crosby’s long-time linemate. “He’s obviously got more points but I think those two are at the top. Everything they mean to the organization, the NHL, the city, everybody who’s been a part of it, and you can tell that it means so much to him.

“And for us to be able to get the win on a night where we celebrate that was huge.”

It looked like the Penguins might be headed toward another loss early on in Sunday’s game as Canadiens rookie forward Oliver Kapanen opened the scoring 7:31 into regulation with his 11th goal of the season.

At the left point of the Pittsburgh zone, Canadiens rookie forward Ivan Demidov fought Penguins forward Noel Acciari off the puck and flung a pass to the upper right hashmark for linemate Juraj Slafkovsky, who one-touched the puck to the lower left circle, where Kapanen whipped a one-timer on the near side by Silovs’ blocker. Slafkovsky and Demidov had assists.

Oliver Kapanen complète un magnifique jeu pour mettre le CH en avant à Pittsburgh ???? pic.twitter.com/2lRrVYUFV6

— TVA Sports (@TVASports) December 22, 2025

Crosby answered immediately with his 20th goal, only 27 seconds later, and tied Lemieux.

Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson corralled a loose puck that slid above Montreal’s right circle. Faking a slapper, Karlsson pulled his stick down and then deftly fed a pass to the slot where an adroit Crosby deflected the puck with his forehand past rookie goaltender Jakub Dobes’ blocker. Karlsson and Rakell recorded assists.

HISTORY IS ON THE HORIZON ????

This building is ready to ERUPT ???? pic.twitter.com/ozGJjqPG80

— SportsNet Pittsburgh (@SNPittsburgh) December 22, 2025

Lemieux became number two via Rakell’s go-ahead goal.

Accepting a pass above Montreal’s left circle, Crosby wound up and pumped a slapper at the cage. Rust was standing in the line of fire and the puck hit off his left leg, then bounced to the right of the crease. Rakell crashed in and cleaned up the rebound with an easy forehand shot for his fourth goal of the season. Assists went to Rust and Crosby, the latter of whom was mobbed by teammates rushing off the bench to celebrate.

THE HISTORY MAKING POINT!

No. 1️⃣7️⃣2️⃣4️⃣ from the new FRANCHISE LEADER ???????? pic.twitter.com/YdtwNO79hD

— SportsNet Pittsburgh (@SNPittsburgh) December 22, 2025

Following a stoppage for media purposes, the Penguins displayed a video with a prepared message from Lemieux. Cheering for Crosby gave way to silence for Lemieux’s words.

From one ???? to another…

A message from Mario moves PPG Paints Arena to its feet ???? pic.twitter.com/ZbsQUCyeEo

— SportsNet Pittsburgh (@SNPittsburgh) December 22, 2025

“Seeing the crowd go quiet when Mario’s message came on (the video board), that was pretty special,” Crosby said. “If you don’t understand the impact that he’s had here and you’re here tonight, I think you understand it a little bit better now, given how quiet it got. If there was any example of respect, I think it was that there.

“It was really cool to see that.”

Demidov spoiled the moment when he tied the game again with his eighth goal at 3:54 of the second period.

Settling a rebound on the left half-wall of the offensive zone, Slafkovsky snapped a cross-ice pass to the right circle where Demidov leaned on his left knee and scorched a one-timer to the far side past Silovs’ blocker. Slafkovsky and Kapanen claimed assists.

Slafkovsky et Demidov font de la magie ???????????? pic.twitter.com/t9DaQxQoQu

— TVA Sports (@TVASports) December 22, 2025

Forward Noel Acciari’s slightly less celebrated 26th career point as an employee of the Penguins restored a lead when he scored his second goal of the season at 11:51 of the second frame.

Controlling the puck behind his own net for several moments, Penguins defenseman Kris Letang flipped a pass into the air to the offensive blue line for Acciari. Chugging into Montreal’s left circle, Acciari encountered Canadiens defenseman Arber Xhekaj and snapped a wrister to the far side past the glove of a surprised Dobes. Letang and Silovs secured assists.

TANGER WITH A HAIL MARY TO COOKIE ???? ????

A POINT FOR ARTY TOO! ???? pic.twitter.com/cxn72FLi8u

— SportsNet Pittsburgh (@SNPittsburgh) December 22, 2025

The Canadiens persisted and evened the game via defenseman Noah Dobson’s sixth goal at 4:04 of the third period during a goalmouth scramble.

Driving through the Penguins’ right circle, Canadiens forward Sammy Blais lost the puck to a poke check by Karlsson. Dobson was right behind the play and claimed the puck. Losing it for a moment, he regained it in the slot and flipped a backhander by Silovs’ blocker. Blais and ex-Penguins defenseman Mike Matheson had assists.

Un 1er point pour Blais avec le CH ???????????? pic.twitter.com/UvTTSR4bbG

— TVA Sports (@TVASports) December 22, 2025

The Penguins appeared to consider issuing a coach’s challenge as Canadiens rookie forward Owen Beck fell into Silovs, thanks to a shove by Penguins defenseman Parker Wotherspoon, on the sequence. Ultimately, the hosts declined to make that challenge.

In overtime, the Penguins survived that period as they were outshot 3-1. The Canadiens largely controlled the puck for the bulk of overtime and kept it in the Penguins’ zone for the most of the frame.

Once the shootout began, the Penguins made the peculiar decision to send out Hayes, a bottom-six forward, for their first attempt. He had not scored a shootout goal since the 2021-22 season.

Going slightly wide to the left, Hayes approached the crease and flipped an off-speed forehand shot by the blocker of a flailing Dobes.

“He’s scored a lot in practice,” Penguins coach Dan Muse said of Hayes. “We’re evaluating, we’re watching. As we practice it, he’s done really well. He’s done it before, he’s been there. It’s a combination of things.

“We thought it would be a good fit.”

Canadiens forward Alexandre Texier was next and tried a backhand maneuver but Silovs snuffed it out with a stick check.

After Crosby’s wrister was batted away by Dobes’ glove, Canadiens forward Cole Caufield tied it with a wrister through Silovs’ five hole.

Rakell had another big moment with the Penguins’ third attempt.

Entering the offensive zone very wide on the right wing, Rakell weaved his way through the near circle and leveled out in the slot. Holding the puck on his forehand for a few seconds, he jammed up Dobes, then snapped to his backhand and flipped the puck under the rookie’s blocker.

Silovs had an opportunity to win the game against Canadiens forward Nick Suzuki.

Twisting and turning his way in on net from the left wing, Suzuki attacked the cage and had a wrister rejected by Silovs’ left skate.

“When we scored the third (attempt), I thought, if you make a save, you win the game,” Silovs said. “We needed that the most. To actually do that, it feels good.”

A lot felt good for the Penguins on Sunday night, especially considering they won a game for the first time since Dec. 4.

Heck, just scoring a goal probably was cause to celebrate considering they were shut out in their previous two games.

“It’s been a tough couple of weeks,” Muse said. “Every game has been a little bit different but it is. It just (expletive) wears on you, honestly, when you go through these types of stretches. That’s just the reality. They’re hard. It’s emotional. These guys care. They care a lot. They want to win. They’re driven to win.”

For more than two decades, no one has done more to drive the Penguins than Sidney Crosby, the franchise’s new all-time leading scorer.

“That number had been kind of hanging around,” Crosby said. “The hockey gods made me earn it, I feel like, the last few games. Just to get the win, get the win in a shootout, it all kind of lined up well tonight.

“The fact that it kind of came together here tonight — we got a big win — it adds to it. It’s definitely special and something that I definitely cherish for sure.”

Notes:

• Linesman Ryan Jackson left the game at 14:21 of the second period after appearing to suffer a leg injury while trying to break up a fracas between Penguins defenseman Jack St. Ivany and Canadiens forward Brendan Gallagher. Penguins medical staffers and even paramedics attended to Jackson, who eventually left the ice with assistance from fellow on-ice officials. There was no immediate word on Jackson’s status.

• Karlsson (135 points) surpassed John Chabot (134) for 70th place on the franchise’s career scoring list.

• Silovs’ assist was his second of the season. He moved into a tie for the league lead in scoring among goaltenders with Joey Daccord of the Kraken and Jacob Markstrom of the Devils.

• Before Sunday, Silovs’ last win was a 5-3 home victory against the Washington Capitals on Nov. 6.

• The Penguins snapped a nine-game losing streak in games decided in shootouts. Before Sunday, their last shootout win was a 4-3 home victory against the San Jose Sharks, Nov. 16, 2024.

• Before Sunday, Hayes’ last shootout goal came as a member of the Philadelphia Flyers in a 4-3 road win against the New York Rangers, April 3, 2022. He scored the only goal in the shootout on goaltender Igor Shesterkin.

• Penguins defensemen Connor Clifton and Ryan Graves, as well as forward Danton Heinen, were healthy scratches.

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