Brad Marchand: Sidney Crosby ‘by far the best player in the league’

Brad Marchand: Sidney Crosby ‘by far the best player in the league’

There is no question that the talent in the NHL has improved since the early 2000s, but that doesn’t mean people should forget about the greats still in the game. That’s exactly what Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand thinks when Sidney Crosby‘s name comes to mind, calling the former No. 1 pick “by far the best player in the league.”

Drafted in back-to-back years, Marchand and Crosby have been cemented as rivals since entering the NHL, but that doesn’t mean they can show little appreciation for one another.

“I think (Crosby is) still obviously one of the best in the world, but he’s not really getting the credit he deserves right now,” Marchand said, according to NHL.com’s Amalie Benjamin. “A lot of the attention is on the younger guys, but if you look at the details of the game, and full 200 feet, he’s by far the best player in the league, him and (MacKinnon).”

Across his career, Crosby has never slowed down in production. The Canadian has scored 571 goals in his 19-year career and has added on almost 1,000 helpers (971). The “golden goal” scorer has cemented himself as an all-time hockey great. Crosby is the highest active point leader in NHL history, sitting 12th all-time in points.

By the end of the 2023-24 season, it’s possible that Crosby could climb all the way up to 10th all-time, passing Phil Esposito and Ray Bourque.

“He’s not as flashy as some of the higher-end guys,” Marchand said. “He’s direct. He plays safe but he plays hard and direct. He plays a winning game. I think he’s learned how to play the right way that you need to play in playoffs to have success. He plays that the entire season. He’s not trying to beat somebody one-on-one every time he gets the puck. He tries to find open space and find the open man, he moves it quick.”

Last time the Bruins and Penguins met, Crosby got the best of Marchand, in two months, the two Eastern Conference foes will meet again in Boston on March 9.

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