There’s a reason Wayne Gretzky is called The Great One, well 61 reasons to be precise. He holds 61 NHL records, including 40 regular-season, 15 playoff and 6 All-Star. Now that’s a lot of records. But you know what they say about records: They’re meant to be broken. And whether you’re a devoted NHL fan or an on and off watcher, you probably know that Alex Ovechkin is only a few goals away from breaking Gretzky’s 894 goal record (for context, Ovechkin just hit goal #888).

With that being said, there is no dearth of other records waiting to be broken. And while the limelight seems to be on Ovechkin at the moment, there is another player who is meticulously working his way towards breaking Gretzky’s points per game record. For those who may not know, points per game (PPG) refers to a player’s average number of points per game over a season. And Gretzky managed to maintain this for 19 seasons.

Then came Sidney Crosby.

Sidney Crosby is only six season points away from reaching his 20th point per game season! That’s right, Crosby has been playing for 20 seasons counting this year. That’s after the Penguins drafted him in 2005. The 37-year-old the Pittsburgh captain has won the Stanley Cup three times. He has also won the Conn Smythe Trophy twice. As MVP of the playoffs—and knowing Crosby’s humble attitude—he likely played down the accolades, as per usual.

En route to breaking Gretzky’s record, how does Sidney Crosby do it? 

On a panel on the NHL network, Kathryn Tappen asked just that question. “Pittsburgh is lucky to have him. An all time great who played for one franchise.” Mike Rupp commented, adding that it’s a great feat to break any Gretzky record. Rupp however also went on to add that he thinks this will be a difficult feat. He said, “Connor McDavid, Nathan McKinnon, all these guys they get over a point a game every single year, but you’ve gotta do it for 20, man.” 

Mark D. Parrish said that everyone is always stunned by what Crosby does on the ice. However, we have now “reached a point in his career where we are truly able to appreciate his work ethic outside of the ring.” Parrish commended Crosby’s work ethic and his dedication to the game. And in every single game these past 20 years, he has overcome injuries and stayed on top of the game. This remains solid, despite all the new blood that keeps coming in. And all in the room seemed to resoundingly agree that Crosby is nothing short of inspiring. 

Well, whether or not Sidney Crosby is able to break Gretzky’s points-per-game record, one thing is for sure: legends keep good company.