"Best player I've ever seen" "He’s an all timer": NHL fans laud 'GOAT' Sidney Crosby as he receives standing ovation from Pittsburgh home crowd

Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby is in the record books once again. The veteran center passed Mario Lemieux for the most assists in Penguins history on Sunday. Crosby got his 1,034th assist in the 3-2 win against the New York Islanders at PPG Paints Arena.

Crosby has the second most points (1,636) and goals (602) for the Penguins, with only Lemieux (1,723 points; 690 goals) ahead of him. He has played 1,310 games since being selected first overall in the 2005 NHL draft.

Penguins fans were over the moon about his achievement. He received a standing ovation from the Pittsburgh crowd after his pass to Michael Bunting resulted in a goal. He also took a commemorative photo with Bunting and the game puck in the locker room. Fans quickly took to social media to praise Crosby.

"Best player I've ever seen," a fan tweeted.

Others commended Crosby for his consistency and high level of performance over the years.

"He's an all timer," another fan tweeted.

“The GOAT,” one fan said.

"Well deserved!" another fan said.

"What a miilestone from Crosby. #LetsGoPens," a fan wrote.

Crosby's teammates and coach also expressed their excitement at his feat. Bunting called his captain "a remarkable player.”

“(Crosby's) Been doing it for a very long time," Bunting said, via NHL.com. "So, we’re all really happy for him in this room.”

Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan praised Crosby, saying that he has one of the best backhands in the league. He added that Crosby's creative instinct meant that this would be just one of many milestones he is expected to reach in his career.

"He’s just an elite player," Sullivan said. "I’m running out of adjectives for him. He’s terrific."

The hockey community agrees with Sullivan based on the reactions on social media.

"6 points away from taking over the 9th spot for all time points in the NHL," one fan said.

"Duh. Arguably the second-greatest player to ever don a Penguins sweater," another fan wrote.

"Love dude. But the auto generated captions say "cindy crosby" and that's hilarious," a fan said.

Sidney Crosby shares his feelings on breaking the assist record twice

Sidney Crosby thought he had surpassed Lemieux during a road loss against the Islanders on Saturday, but the assist was taken away. Calling it "a little weird," the Penguins captain said he appreciated that he officially broke the record in front of the home crowd.

Crosby leads Pittsburgh with 40 points (10 goals, 30 assists) in 38 games in his 20th NHL season.