Players Vote Sidney Crosby Most Complete Player, Role Model

There is a generation of hockey players who grew up idolizing Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby, who not only carried the torch as the face of the NHL for over a decade but plays the game from end to end. Crosby routinely plays against the best opponents and still achieves well more than a point per game.

The NHLPA released a poll on Wednesday with ballots from more than 500 players who recognized Crosby for both responsibilities.

The players named Crosby the “most complete player” in the poll. His name appeared on 29.5% of ballots, and 154 of the 522 ballots chose him for the second consecutive season.

The award should not be a surprise with the defensive responsibility, offensive production, and the occasional rough stuff. Aleksander Barkov finished second with 20.5%.

Sidney Crosby was also the leading vote-getter as the NHL’s “best role model,” receiving a whopping 42.7% of all votes. Boston forward Patrice Bergeron came in second place with 9.8% of the 374 ballots cast.

Crosby also finished second in the NHLPA poll–If you need to win one game, who is the one player (any position) you want on your team? Crosby garnered 17.3%. Connor McDavid pulled over 42% on that question.

If you needed one goalie? Andrei Vasilevskiy won the voting, but Marc-Andre Fleury finished third with 6.7%.

And in a shocking upset, Rogers Place in Edmonton was not voted the best ice in the NHL, though Canada retained the title. The Bell Centre in Montreal received 39.7% of the vote for best ice. Though the poll results may have been skewed, with Madison Square Garden receiving nearly 3% of the vote.

Amanda Kessel was voted third best women’s player behind Marie-Philip Poulin (43.2%) and Hilary Knight.