Sidney Crosby will win the Art Ross Trophy for most points in the NHL this season. With 104 points in 80 games it was not even close. Crosby was electric all season long, providing one of the best performances in recent NHL history. The next closest scorer was Ryan Getzlaf with 87 points. That is a difference of 17 points, which is incredible. The most impressive part of Crosby’s game is that he puts up points with players not considered traditional “top line guys”. No offense to Chris Kunitz and Lee Stempniak, but these are players that are not your prototypical first line wingers. Crosby makes them first line wingers with his incredible ability. He is a game changing, driver of offense and makes every single player on the ice with him better. Making others better is what separates superstars from stars. Superstars are superstars no matter who they play with.

Going along with his 104 points, Crosby was an exceptional two way player. His Corsi and Fenwick stats are top notch. (Courtesy of extraskater.com)

2013-2014 Penguins CF 53.0% CF% Rel +6.9% FF% 53.6% FF% Rel +7.1%

These numbers are incredible, and outline just how important Crosby is to the Penguins. When the Pens play any team in the league, Crosby is matched up against the best players on that team. Every night, no matter the circumstance, because Crosby is the best player in the entire NHL. With that in mind, refer back to his FF% Rel. This statistic measures the Fenwick for percentage of Crosby relative to the Penguins when Crosby is not on the ice. Meaning every time Crosby hits the ice against the oppositions’ best players, the Penguins Fenwick percentage takes a 7.1% increase. Simply Incredible. Crosby takes the opposition to task, he is the driving force.

These statistics help to provide an outline of just how valuable Crosby is to the Penguins. Obviously 104 points is incredible, but the real value of Crosby is that he drives the puck possession of the Penguins in the right direction every time he steps on the ice. He truly dominates the game. Here is a comparison to provide some context. Ryan Getzlaf, the second leading scorer in the NHL behind Crosby, finished the season with 87 points. An incredible season in of itself but here are Getzlafs’ advanced statistics. (Courtesy of extraskater.com)

2013-2014 Ducks CF% 51.1% CF% Rel +1.3% FF% 51.5% FF% Rel +1.5%

Getzlaf has a FF% Rel of just +1.5%. Crosby has a FF% Rel of +7.1%. This highlights the fact that Crosby does more than just dominate with points. He dominates with his ability to control the game when he is on the ice.

On top of his incredible season in the NHL, Crosby was the Captain of the Gold Medal winning Team Canada at the Sochi Olympics. Throughout that tournament Crosby was criticized for his lack of offense, which is understandable when you consider how dynamic he is in the NHL. However, the Olympics were not about offense for Crosby or Team Canada. Canada was playing a puck possession, strong defensive style game of hockey. That style of hockey is what propelled them to victory in the Olympics and Crosby was leading the way. He sacrificed his offensive output to play strong two way hockey. This is what great players do, they adapt their game to the circumstance at hand.

This year is the healthiest Crosby has been in many years. Injuries have plagued him throughout his career, which has always made people question his long term ability. But Crosby played 80 games this season, and was unstoppable. With injury troubles behind him (hopefully) we may finally see Crosby string together consecutive 100 point seasons.

This season has many Hart Trophy candidates. Looking at these advanced statistics alongside the incredible offensive season Crosby has had, there should be no doubt he should be the leading candidate to bring home the Hart Trophy.