Don’t call it a comeback, but I’m very excited to be joining the LTP team again. I believe in this group of guys and gals and the Penguins coverage we can provide. We just try to bring our very best to the rest of Penguins fans everywhere.
Someone else who’s bringing their best right now is Sidney Crosby. We may be seeing a version of Crosby that supersedes his level of play before that infamous concussion at the Winter Classic. His shots are going in at a ridiculous rate, but he’s also still finding teammates for scoring chances like he has before. His assist on Letang’s OT-winner in Brooklyn was delicious. There’s been a lot of talk of him possibly accomplishing a feat that would seem impossible in today’s NHL: 50 goals in 50 games.
Can he do it? I think if anyone in this league could do it, it would be him or Ovechkin. I’d bet on Sid over Ovi because the latter tends to be streaky, and in today’s NHL, streaky players would have a REALLY hard time scoring 50 in 50.
Now, one thing we have to remember is the “50-in-50” rule is 50 goals in the TEAM’s first 50 games, not the player’s first 50 games played. People recognize players that have accomplished that as “unofficial” 50-in-50 guys, but officially, only five guys have done it (Maurice “Rocket” Richard, Mike Bossy, Wayne Gretzky (3 times), Mario Lemieux, and Brett Hull (2 times)). Could Sid join such an elite club this season?
My answer is no. I’d love to say yes, and I’m not counting him out, but his shooting percentage is off the charts right now and seems to be unsustainable. It’s just so hard to do in today’s NHL. The last guy to do it was Brett Hull in the 1991-1992 season. The last guy who “unofficially” did it was Mario Lemieux in 1995-1996, who scored his 50th goal in HIS 50th game, but it was the team’s 59th game.
Crosby has 12 goals in 19 team games (he’s played 13). An official 50-in-50 just doesn’t seem realistic to me. However, if he were to pull of an “unofficial” 50-in-50, in today’s NHL, that’s a legit accomplishment. I also think Sid has a real shot at scoring 50 goals this season, winning his second Rocket Richard, and probably winning the Art Ross. This is in no way downgrading how Sid’s playing right now. He’s the best player in the world right now and there’s no argument against it. And the team really hasn’t clicked on all cylinders yet, and I think once they do, you’ll see even more points from Sid.
In today’s NHL, 50-in-50 would take some divine intervention. It’s like the NHL tries to prevent goals sometimes. But that’s a topic for a different time. While I don’t believe it will happen, I’m cheering to prove myself wrong.
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