The 2,000 point table – will Crosby pull up a chair?

While Alex Ovechkin’s approach of Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goal record has captured the attention of the hockey world, Sidney Crosby is concurrently in pursuit of another historic milestone that seems to have garnered significantly less dissertation amongst puck pundits. To be fair, this chase is only for second place, which admittedly is never quite as alluring as one that has the potential to both declare an outright statistical superiority and usurp a legend of the game at the same time. Nonetheless, if accomplished it would be a distinguished silver medal that would earn Sidney Crosby a seat at a table that only The Great One has had his feet up at for over 30 years. Considering all the ways that Ovechkin and Crosby have been intrinsically linked over their careers, it is not surprising that they both would both be taking runs at Gretzky’s career totals from different angles in the twilight of their careers.

THE OBSERVATION

It appears to be mathematically feasible that Sidney Crosby could become only the second NHL player to ever reach 2,000 regular season points.

THE RESEARCH

The Stats

2023-2024 is Sidney Crosby’s 19^th NHL season. The most seasons anyone has ever played in the league is 26 (Gordie Howe, Chris Chelios).

No one has played more than 1,779 games – Patrick Marleau set the record after finishing up in 2020-2021 after his 23^rd season.

Crosby crossed the 1,500 point plateau earlier this year after playing his 1,193^rd regular season game. He now sits at 1,554 points in 1,240 games (as of Feb 14, 2024).  

The Math

No one has played more than 1,779 NHL games (yet) so let’s assume Crosby doesn’t surpass Marleau either. Sid’s current 1,554 points in 1,240 games lands him at a 1.25 points per game average (career). 2,000 points take away Crosby’s current tally leaves a gap of 446 to account for. Continuing to score at a 1.25 PPG pace (103 points a year) would allow Sid to reach the 2K milestone in 356.8 games / 4.4 seasons (all 82 games of 2024-25, 2025-26, 2026-27, 2027-28 and 33 games of 2028-29).

If Sid can’t keep up a 1.25 PPG pace, he could afford to have his production rate slow to no lower than 1.2 PPG to reach point 2000 by game 1,779. That means 98-99 points a season for 5.4 seasons instead (all 82 games of 2024-25, 2025-26, 2026-27, 2027-28, 2028-29, and 15 games of 2029-30). This trajectory would bunk a then 42-year-old Crosby with Howe and Chelios in the 26-season club and also draw him even with Marleau, exhausting both the theoretical max season and games played guardrails.

The Challenges

Besides needing to score at least 103 points each year for the next 4-5 seasons, Crosby will also have to stay healthy and sign a contract for (at least) 4 seasons beyond his current 12-year deal that expires at the end of 2024-25 if he is to achieve this landmark. If he slows to 1.2 PPG, he’ll need an even longer contract. He has only scored more than 100 or more points in six previous seasons (2005-06, 2006-07, 2008-09, 2009-10, 2013-14, 2018-19), meaning he didn’t do it 13 other times. Keeping this pace up into his 40’s will not be easy.

THE HYPOTHESIS

By the math, Crosby could theoretically reach 2,000 in game 1,597 while playing in his 24^th season. If he were to do it by then he would be close to Chelios and Howe’s career seasons total but still two seasons off either, and he would have needed 182 games less than Marleau played. If he can’t keep scoring at the ideal clip, there is still a path to success, albeit a more narrow one. Those numbers suggest that it’s plausible for Sid to accomplish this feat.

He could, of course, just set new seasons played and games played records and cross the finish line organically. The only holdup here may be contracts, but if not Pittsburgh, what team wouldn’t be interested in the services of the 3-time Stanley Cup champ and future first-ballot Hall of Famer even short-term?

THE TEST / DATA

Due by January 1, 2029 (no later than November 2029)

THE CONCLUSION

The fact that it could take arguably the greatest player of his generation 24 years to reach only next best in career point totals demonstrates how dominant Wayne Gretzky truly was on an all-time scale. Even if Crosby becomes only the second member of the exclusive / elusive 2,000 point club after playing into his forties, it is nothing short of awe inspiring that Gretzky was just 30 years old when he did it and only needed half the time (12 seasons – reached in 1990-91) to do the same. So is that he got 857 more after those.

Product Review: Spot It! NHL, and Fastrack NHL by Blue Orange Games

THE ROB REPORT:

“SPOT IT! NHL” & “NHL FASTRACK ” BY BLUE ORANGE GAMES

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If you’re starved for NHL action this hockey season, Blue Orange Games has a couple of titles that might just hit the “spot” for you. I recently took Spot It! NHL for a few laps around the rink, and here’s what I thought:

I’m into bigger style board games, so it was a bit deceiving when I saw Spot It! NHL was so compact. However, along with its miniature size came a great deal of fun, as it provided 5 different NHL hockey themed matching games.

The game’s single dimension is to spot matching NHL logos and other hockey-themed images before the other players can. This game has 5 different variations. The fun is all in the mayhem, trying to quickly make matches before everyone else.

I played with 4 friends, 2 of which don’t follow hockey regularly.  All of us thought the game was great. My friends I played with play a lot of board games (they have a few shelves dedicated to them) and they decided to add this game to their regular lineup of games to play on game night.

The gameplay time is short enough that it does not get tiresome (3-5mins). Short is also good because players can exit a game anytime without disrupting a very involving showdown. There are a few variations that can potentially take a little longer (up to 8-10min) to finish than others, and the time difference adds to the variation.

You can keep score, but I found it more fun when each game is mutually exclusive from the other, since there is potential for players with superior matching skills to run away with the score over the course of multiple games. The game has a tendency to favor better players, as the real good players can go on long streaks, and slower-matching players could become frustrated. I’d recommend players organizing games amongst evenly skilled players, rather than letting the game even it out for you. But then again, playing the game is the only way to truly find out what level of matcher every player is.

The game comes in a durable case so game owners do not have to worry about wear and tear outside of actually the game.

Overall this is a great game to play for not only hockey enthusiasts, but for everyone. The learning curve is extremely low and the logos are easily distinguishable.

You can order these games online, or find a local retailer to pick them up at.

Below is their official press release, and some additional info.

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While the NHL hockey season is on hold, Blue Orange Games is proud to be the source for the hottest NHL^® licensed games to kick start the action!

Blue Orange gave their wildly popular games, Spot it! and Fastrack a sporty makeover that Wayne Gretzky would approve of! Now hockey fans have the perfect family games to fuel their passion and show off their pride. Packaging and instructions for both games is in French and English.

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Whether you are a die-hard hockey fan or you just want to break the ice, Spot it! NHL^® is for you. Hockey themed symbols give this collectible edition its cool edge. There is always one, and only one matching symbol between any two cards! To become one of the Greats of the game, be the first to spot the match. Officially licensed by the National Hockey League, this hockey card game contains the logos of every NHL^® team. Have a blast skating through all 5 mini-games: make that “Sweet Pass,” avoid “The Penalty,” and score in “The Net,” and more! Packaged in a puck-size tin, Spot it! NHL is the perfect stocking stuffer for hockey heads young and young-at-heart!

Ages 7 to Adult • 2 to 8 Players

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Here’s another NHL themed game from Blue Orange games that we think you’d also enjoy…

NHL^® Fastrack brings your favorite sport to your fingertips! Officially licensed by the National Hockey League^®, this puck passing game produces kinetic energy and exhilarating competition. The first to send all 10 pucks to an opponent’s side takes home the trophy! Just like a hockey game, NHL^® Fastrack calls for lightning-speed, accuracy and just the right amount of chance to win. This eco-friendly speed game is made of 100% sustainable wood and the rink’s sidelines feature logos of teams adored by hockey fans all over North America. With quality you can see and ready to play right out of the box, NHL^® Fastrack makes an unforgettable holiday gift. And what’s more—Blue Orange plants two trees for every tree used to create this game!

Ages 5+ • 2 Players

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About Blue Orange Games:

With 12 years experience creating stimulating and easy-to-learn games,
exquisitely designed for maximum fun, Blue Orange Games looks to the future
with consistent ideals.Using durable materials, Blue Orange pledges to produce high quality games that are enjoyable for the whole family. The eco-friendly company remains committed to planting two trees for every one tree used in game construction. Blue Orange has won multiple awards, such as Parenting Magazine’s “Mom Tested Toys of the Year,” Parents Magazine’s “Toys of the Year,” Family Fun Magazine’s “Toys of the Year,” Oppenheim Toy Portfolio’s “Platinum Seal,” and Dr. Toy’s “10 Best Games,” among others.

Blue Orange Games was founded in 2000 and is based in San Francisco. For
more information about the company, go to www.blueorangegames.com or email pr@blueorangegames.com

You can also follow them on Twitter and Facebook.

A Memo To Soccer People (if you play, watch, or like sports, please read).

 

who, would you say, is more entitled to a celebration, if they score?

Dear Soccer People,

 

So you’ve got the most popular sport globally, soccer (football for the purists).  Though I doubt the research sometimes, I’ve heard the stat so many times I guess there’s got to be some truth to it.  You sell-out stadiums every night, and sometimes you riot because you’re into it so deep.  You got passion, I dig that. 

Your game doesn’t differ conceptually that much from similiar sports (get the ______ in the other team’s ______ ), but that doesn’t mean it isn’t tough.  Playing some pick-up soccer myself has re-inforced this to me.  If you haven’t noticed by now, just because the pro’s on TV in ANY sport make it look easy, doesn’t mean you can do it that well in your half-time beer-and-smoke-break league.  Just like any sport, it takes a lot of skill and effort to be any good at soccer.  Minus the diving.  

BUT still, with all that being said, please soccer players… if you listen to only one thing I say in this whole blog, let it be this:

  Your sport contains THE BIGGEST NET IN SPORTS. 

I realize that goals in soccer come on an average of 2 or 3 a month, but just because you finally punted that borderline beach-ball size of inflated rubber into netting which could corral a beluga whale, past the guy with no over-sized padding, does NOT mean your backflip is warranted.  Hey, scoring is cool, heck it’s one of the best feelings there is to feel.  But honestly, the fewer airplane spins and power knee-slides I see, the better.  I don’t, for one

I'm a professional athlete. They pay me money to act like this.

second, approve of the baby thumb-sucking celebration i’ve seen on a few occasions.  Also why do soccer players feel the need to rip off their jerseys when they score a big goal?  That jersey is a sense of pride in most sports.  The difference between hockey players and soccer players is that while soccer players don’t want their jerseys on and rip them off, hockey players grab their crest and shake it like a polaroid they’re so happy to have it on their chest.  Some hockey teams will actually fine their players for letting their jerseys touch the floor in the dressing room they’re so serious about respecting the uniform.

Scoring in hockey is unbelievably tough at the top levels.  The net is small, and most goaltenders are large humans to begin with, AND THEN they put on their pads, filling in and spilling over any “holes” that may have previously been present; likening your scoring chances to moustaches ever being actually, really, cool again.  You gotta be really good to pull either situation off.  So hockey goals deserve a big celly (celebration), but even the rockpiles (rookies) know not to go too far.  Fist pump: yes.  Stick ride: No. Ice duster with a follow-up pumper-nickle: time and a place.  Canoe paddle: Don’t bother suiting up next game.

Football players gotta grind those TD’s out.  There’s some big, bad mamma-jamma’s out there that really don’t want you in their end.  There’s some huge meathead football players, but even the best teams have a tough time getting it in field goal range against a defensive line named after large kitchen appliances.  So Terrell, I say flap your wings.  Throw the grenades and blow your team up.  Dirty bird, get derrrty.  You’ve earned it.

Basketball is well aware that even though they have the smallest net in team sports, it’s just not that big of a challenge when the telephone-pole sized players can literally start placing the ball in the net for over 100 points a game.  Even the dunkers are aware of the frequency of conversion.  Rarely do you see a basket celebration, and with good reason.

So soccer players, in conclusion, I enjoy your game, but never forget NO ONE IN SPORTS HAS A BIGGER NET THAN YOU. 

 The only exception I will allow to this rule is the header goal, or that bicycle kick.  These might be the toughest goals in sports to score, and to that I say climb the goal post and pick the coconuts for all I care, you deserve it.     Hopefully my British friends haven’t disowned me.  Remember, I’m not attacking soccer as a whole, just the over-sensationalized celebrations to goal size ratio, that’s all.  Just keep it all in perspective.  This is all I ask.

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