Sidney Crosby receives standing ovation after breaking Lemieux's record.
Sidney Crosby received a stand ovation in front of the home crowd and even he couldn't keep the smile off his face.
Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby now stands alone atop the Penguins record books.
On Sunday night, as Crosby and the Penguins faced off against the New York Islanders at PPG Paints Arena, Crosby surpassed one of his idols and a man he billeted with when he started his career, Penguins legend Mario Lemieux. Crosby would record the 1034th assist of his career in the National Hockey League, all of which have come with the Penguins, putting him one ahead of the legendary Super Mario who accumulated a total of 1033 over his own career as a Penguin.
It appeared as though Crosby had broken the record on Saturday night but that assist was taken away, this time however it is indeed official and Crosby stands alone in the record book as the Penguins' all-time assists king. Here's a look at how he made it happen:
Perhaps even better than the assist itself however was the reaction from everyone in the building, including Crosby's teammates, the fans in attendance, and of course the man of the hour himself. Crosby received a standing ovation from the Penguins faithful in the crowd and his teammates on the bench all stood up to give him stick taps as well, but the reaction from Crosby topped them all.
The normally very serious Penguins captain couldn't help but crack a smile as he took a gulp of water on the bench, showing that surpassing Lemieux clearly meant something special to him in his career as a Pittsburgh Penguin. Lemieux is a truly legendary figure in the city of Pittsburgh, and in the hearts and minds of an entire generation of hockey players, so I can completely understand why Crosby was likely elated at the incredible achievement.
Here's a look a Crosby's reaction as well as the ovation:
