Sidney Crosby Breaks Mario Lemieux Franchise Record in Penguins Win Over Canadiens

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Sidney Crosby delivered a historic breaking update Sunday night in Pittsburgh, passing Mario Lemieux as the all time leading scorer in Penguins franchise history during a 4-3 shootout win over the Montreal Canadiens that snapped an eight game skid and added another milestone to his Hall of Fame résumé.

Crosby entered the night one point shy of Lemieux and wasted little time altering the timeline of Penguins history. At 7:58 of the first period, he redirected an Erik Karlsson point shot past Jakub Dobes to tie the record. Just 38 seconds later, Crosby officially broke it when his power play attempt deflected off Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell converted the rebound, giving Crosby sole possession of the franchise mark.

The goals moved Crosby to 1,724 career points, consisting of 645 goals and 1,079 assists, achieved across 1,387 games. With that total, he also passed Lemieux for eighth on the NHL all time points list, reinforcing his place among the league most productive players across eras.

The moment resonated deeply inside PPG Paints Arena. Crosby, Rust, and Rakell embraced behind the net while the Penguins bench emptied to celebrate their captain. Later in the period, Lemieux appeared via video message to congratulate Crosby, offering praise that reflected both history and continuity within the organization.

Lemieux originally claimed the franchise scoring record on Jan. 20, 1989, surpassing Rick Kehoe while Crosby was just 17 months old. Lemieux finished his career with 1,723 points in only 915 games, a benchmark that stood for more than three decades. Crosby recorded his first NHL point with Lemieux in the lineup and lived with the Lemieux family early in his career, making Sunday milestone especially significant.

From a league wide perspective, Crosby now ranks third in NHL history for points recorded with a single franchise, trailing only Gordie Howe with 1,809 and Steve Yzerman with 1,755, both with Detroit. He is also the ninth active player to lead a franchise outright in career scoring and the seventh all time point leader in Penguins history since the team entered the league 58 years ago.

Additional milestones followed quietly alongside the headline achievement. Crosby passed Phil Esposito for ninth on the NHL all time even strength goals list and tied Adam Oates for eighth all time in assists. With 20 goals this season, he secured his 18th 20 goal campaign, a total exceeded by only six players in league history.

The game itself carried impact beyond the record books. Pittsburgh halted an eight game losing streak and gained critical ground in a tight Eastern Conference race. Crosby participated in the shootout but did not score, as the Penguins closed out a needed win that could influence their short term outlook.

Looking ahead, Crosby remains 45 goals shy of Lemieux franchise record of 690, another mark that now sits within reach as the season continues. The next steps for Pittsburgh focus on translating momentum into consistency, while Crosby latest achievement stands as a defining chapter in both franchise and NHL history.