Sidney Crosby surpasses Wayne Gretzky in big NHL franchise milestone after scoring goal for Penguins 

Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby made history on Tuesday night against the New York Islanders. Crosby scored a goal in the first period of the Pens’ 4-2 loss to the Isles, notching his 1,670th point.

The goal placed Crosby in fourth place all-time for most points with a single franchise, ahead of Wayne Gretzky. "The Great One" had 1,669 in nine seasons with the Edmonton Oilers.

Here’s a look at the historic marker:

Crosby picked up a loose puck and buried a quick shot past Islanders netminder Ilya Sorokin. The goal late in the opening frame put the Pens up 2-0. However, the Islanders would come back to spoil Sidney Crosby’s big night.

Crosby now trails Penguins legend Mario Lemieux on the team’s all-time list with 1,723.

Here’s a look at the top five all-time point scorers with a single team:

Crosby now trails Lemieux by 53 points. With 12 games remaining this season, it’s doubtful that Crosby will break that mark this season. So, all eyes will be on him next season as he sets his sights on passing Lemieux on the all-time Penguins’ scoring list.

Sidney Crosby climbing up the NHL all-time scoring list

Sidney Crosby has been quietly moving up the NHL’s all-time scoring list. Crosby is currently ninth in the league’s all-time scoring list, according to NHL records. He passed Joe Sakic earlier this season to move up on the list.

Now, the next step is Lemieux who’s 53 points away. But with another solid season next year, Crosby could move past other greats like Steve Yzerman, and potentially catch Marcel Dionne.

After Lemieux, Yzerman has 1,755 points in the seventh spot. Following Yzerman, Dionne is sixth with 1,771 points. While Crosby needs 101 points to catch Dionne, a solid ending to this season plus another strong campaign next year could get him close.

It’s worth pointing out that Crosby signed a two-year extension earlier this season. As such, Crosby has another two seasons to catch Dionne and potentially move into the top five all-time, catching Ron Francis who currently has the fifth spot with 1,798 points.

With Sidney Crosby not showing any signs of slowing down, the Penguins superstar could potentially creep up to Gordie Howe and Mark Messier who sit fourth and third on the list with 1,850 and 1,887 points, respectively.

It’s still premature to speculate about Crosby’s point total once his playing career is done. But if he can stay healthy and productive, there’s no telling how far Crosby could climb on the all-time scoring list.