Sidney Crosby is one of the greatest NHL players of all-time and he continued to prove it this season by becoming the 15th player in NHL history to record 1,500 points in his career. The impressive milestone was reached on April 8 when his Pittsburgh Penguins traveled to Detroit to take on the Red Wings.
He entered the game with 1,497 career points, but scored two goals and dished one assist to end the game with three points. The first goal came with just three seconds left in the first period, while his assist came halfway through the second period. He scored the second goal three minutes into the final period.
Crosby now has 33 goals and 58 assists (91 points) through 80 games this season, bringing his career totals to 550 goals and 950 assists (1,500 points) through 1,188 games. He was most recently named Pittsburgh Penguins’ Team MVP for the third consecutive season and 11th time in his 18-year career.
Other NHL Players With 1,500 Career Points
Sidney Crosby made his NHL debut during the 2005-06 season and has been a consistent leader for the Penguins ever since. He has accumulated more than 100 points in six seasons – including at least 30 goals in 11 seasons (including the past two) and at least 50 assists in 10 seasons (including the past two).
His 1,500 career points is quite an incredible accomplishment, considering it has only been done by 14 other NHL players in the history of the game. He also becomes the only active player to reach the milestone, putting himself in a league of his own – though Alex Ovechkin is following very close behind.
What’s crazy is that the NHL still has several more years of Sidney Crosby and he’ll continue to add to his career points total in the coming years – his current contract runs through 2024-25 (two more years). While we wait to see what the future holds, let’s look at the 14 other NHL players with 1,500 career points.
14. Paul Coffey – 1,531 points
Paul Coffey was drafted by the Edmonton Oilers with the No. 6 overall (1st round) pick in the 1980 NHL Entry Draft. He spent 21 seasons in the NHL, mostly with the Oilers, Penguins, and Red Wings. In 1,409 career games played, he scored 396 goals and dished 1,135 assists – totaling 1,531 career points.
Coffey recorded at least 100 points in five seasons – including at least 120 points in three consecutive seasons between 1983 and 1985. His career-high was 138 points during the 1985-86 season, when he scored 48 goals and dished 90 assists. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2004.
13. Mark Recchi – 1,533 points
Mark Recchi was drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins with the No. 67 overall (4th round) pick in the 1988 NHL Entry Draft. He spent 22 seasons in the NHL, mostly with the Flyers, Penguins, and Canadiens. In 1,652 career games played, he scored 577 goals and dished 956 assists – totaling 1,533 career points.
Recchi recorded at least 100 points in three seasons – including a career-high 123 points during the 1992-93 season, when he scored 53 goals and dished 70 assists. He scored at least 20 goals 16 times in his career and at least 30 goals seven times. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2017.
12. Joe Thornton – 1,539 points
Joe Thornton was drafted by the Boston Bruins with the No. 1 overall (1st round) pick in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft. He spent 24 seasons in the NHL, mostly with the Sharks and Bruins. In 1,714 career games played, Thornton scored 430 goals and dished 1,109 assists – totaling 1,539 points across his career.
Thornton recorded at least 100 points in three seasons – including a career-high and NHL-leading 125 points during the 2005-06 season, when he scored 29 goals and dished a league-high 96 assists. He led the league in assists two more times in his career. He retired in 2022 and is a future Hall of Famer.
11. Ray Bourque – 1,579 points
Ray Bourque was drafted by the Boston Bruins with the No. 8 overall (1st round) pick in the 1979 NHL Entry Draft. He spent 22 seasons in the NHL with the Bruins (21 years) and Avalanche (1 year). In 1,612 career games played, he scored 410 goals and dished 1,169 assists – totaling 1,579 career points.
Bourque never amassed the 100-point mark in a single season, but he recorded at least 50 points in all but two of his seasons and had at least 90 points in four seasons. His career-high was 96 points during the 1983-84 season – 31 goals and 65 assists. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2004.
10. Phil Esposito – 1,590 points
Phil Esposito made his NHL debut with the Chicago Black Hawks during the 1963-64 season and went on to spend 18 seasons in the league with the Bruins, Black Hawks, and Rangers. In just 1,282 career games played, Esposito scored 717 goals and dished 873 assists – totaling 1,590 points in his career.
Esposito recorded at least 100 points in six seasons – all of which coming in a seven-year span between 1968 and 1974. He almost made it seven straight, but only had 99 points in 1969-70. He led the league in points five times, goals six times, and assists three times. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1984.
9. Joe Sakic – 1,641 points
Joe Sakic was drafted by the Quebec Nordiques with the No. 15 overall (1st round) in the 1987 NHL Entry Draft. He spent 20 seasons in the NHL, all of which coming with the Nordiques – who became the Colorado Avalanche in 1995. In 1,378 games, he recorded 625 goals, 1,016 assists, and 1,641 points.
Sakic recorded at least 100 points in six seasons – including 100 points during the 2006-07 season at 37 years old. His career-high was 120 points during the 1995-96 season (51 goals, 69 assists), but he also had 118 points in 2000-01 (54 goals, 64 assists). He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2012.
8. Mario Lemieux – 1,723 points
Mario Lemieux was drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins with the No. 1 overall (1st round) pick in the 1984 NHL Entry Draft. He spent 17 years in the NHL, all of which with the Penguins and would’ve played longer if it weren’t for his cancer diagnosis. In 915 games, he had 690 goals, 1,033 assists, and 1,723 points.
Lemieux recorded at least 100 points in 10 seasons – all coming in a span of 12 years. He led the league in goals three times, assists three times, and points six times – including a career-high 85 goals, 114 assists, and 199 points in the 1988-89 season. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1997.
7. Steve Yzerman – 1,755 points
Steve Yzerman was drafted by the Detroit Red Wings with the No. 4 overall (1st round) pick in the 1983 NHL Entry Draft. He spent 22 seasons in the NHL, all of which with the Red Wings. In 1,514 career games played, he scored 692 goals and dished 1,063 assists – totaling 1,755 points across his career.
Yzerman recorded at least 100 points in six consecutive seasons between 1987 and 1992 – including a career-high 155 points during the 1988-89 season, when he recorded 65 goals and 90 assists. He scored at least 50 goals five times and at least 60 goals twice. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2009.
6. Marcel Dionne – 1,771 points
Marcel Dionne was drafted by the Detroit Red Wings with the No. 2 overall (1st round) pick in the 1971 NHL Amateur Draft. He spent 18 seasons in the NHL with the Kings, Red Wings, and Rangers. In 1,348 career games played, he scored 731 goals and dished 1,040 assists – totaling 1,771 career points.
Dionne recorded at least 100 points on eight occasions and at least 120 points in six of those seasons. His career-high was 137 points (led the NHL) during the 1979-80 season, when he had 53 goals and 84 assists – he followed that up with 135 points in 1980-81. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1992.
5. Ron Francis – 1,798 points
Ron Francis was drafted by the Hartford Whalers with the No. 4 overall (1st round) pick in the 1981 NHL Entry Draft. He spent 23 seasons in the NHL with the Whalers, Hurricanes, Penguins, and Maple Leafs. In 1,731 games played, he scored 549 goals and dished 1,249 assists – totaling 1,798 career points.
Francis recorded at least 100 points on three occasions – including a career-high 119 points during the 1995-96 season, when he scored 27 goals and led the NHL with 92 assists. He also scored at least 20 goals in 20 of his 23 seasons – proving to be consistent. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2007.
4. Gordie Howe – 1,850 points
Gordie Howe made his NHL debut with the Detroit Red Wings during the 1946-47 season and went on to spend 26 seasons in the league. In 1,767 games played in the NHL, Howe scored 801 goals and dished 1,049 assists – totaling 1,850 points. He had another 508 points during his six-year career in the WHA.
Howe only recorded at least 100 points in one season – he had 44 goals, 59 assists, and 103 points during the 1968-69 season at 40 years old. He had at least 30 goals in 14 of his 26 seasons in the NHL and had at least 40 assists on 18 occasions. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1972.
3. Mark Messier – 1,887 points
Mark Messier was drafted by the Edmonton Oilers with the No. 48 overall (3rd round) pick in the 1979 NHL Entry Draft. He spent 25 years in the NHL, mostly with the Oilers, Rangers, and Canucks. In 1,756 career games played, he scored 694 goals and dished 1,193 assists – totaling 1,887 career points.
Messier recorded at least 100 points on six occasions, at least 30 goals on 11 occasions, and at least 50 assists on 11 occasions. He posted a career-high 129 points during the 1989-90 season, when he scored 45 goals and dished 84 assists (also a career-high). He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2007.
2. Jaromir Jagr – 1,921 points
Jaromir Jagr was drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins with the No. 5 overall (1st round) pick in the 1990 NHL Entry Draft. He spent 24 seasons in the NHL, mostly with Penguins, Rangers, Capitals, and Panthers. In 1,733 games played, he scored 766 goals and dished 1,155 assists for 1,921 career points.
Jagr recorded at least 100 points on five occasions, at least 30 goals on 15 occasions, and at least 50 assists on 10 occasions. His career-highs were 62 goals, 87 assists, and 149 points – all of which during the 1995-96 season. He led the NHL in points five times. He retired in 2018 and is a future Hall of Famer.
1. Wayne Gretzky – 2,857 points
Wayne Gretzky made his NHL debut with the Edmonton Oilers during the 1979-80 season and went on to spend 20 years in the league – mostly with the Oilers, Kings, and Rangers. In 1,487 career games played, he scored 894 goals and dished 1,963 assists for 2,857 points – all of which are all-time records.
Gretzky recorded at least in all but five of his seasons in the NHL and had at least 200 points on four occasions – including three straight between 1983 and 1985. He led the league in goals five times, assists 16 times, and points 11 times. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1999.
NHL Players Who Might Join Sidney Crosby in the Future
As of right now, there’s one NHL player who will join Sidney Crosby in the near future – not this season, but definitely next season. Alex Ovechkin currently has 1,484 points through 1,346 games (18 seasons) and is still one of the better goal scorers in the league – despite turning 38 years old in September.
To put Crosby’s impressive achievement in perspective, he achieved his 1,500th point in 1,188 games – which is 158 games less than Ovechkin, and he’s not even at 1,500 career points yet. While Ovechkin has more goals than Crosby (272 to be exact), Crosby has more assists than Ovechkin (288 to be exact).
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There are only two other active NHL players who are within 300 points of joining the 1,500 club – Patrick Kane (1,237 points at 34 years old) and Crosby’s longtime teammate Evgeni Malkin (1,228 points at 36 years old). Depending on how long they stay in the league, there’s a chance neither of them make it.
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