Penguins Best Active Homegrown Player: Brought to You By Upper Deck
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PITTSBURGH – With the Stanley Cup finally handed out, putting an end to the 2023-24 season, teams like the Pittsburgh Penguins are turning their attention to the upcoming NHL Draft. While the Penguins don’t currently have a first-round pick, a top pick from nearly 20 years ago changed the franchise's trajectory forever.
After missing the entire 2004-05 season due to a lockout, the 2005 Draft was going to be an unprecedented scene, made all the more special with the superstar talent expected to go first overall. The Penguins won the draft lottery and were lucky enough to take Sidney Crosby with the first pick.
Before ever hitting the ice with the Penguins, Crosby was a household name in Pittsburgh. It was Crosby who was expected to take the torch from Mario Lemieux as the franchise’s most iconic player.
On the verge of relocation, Crosby’s presence (along with other top draft picks like Evgeni Malkin and Marc-Andre Fleury) kept the team in Pittsburgh and a new arena to call home.
Set to enter his 20th season in the NHL, Crosby has exceeded what were already lofty expectations. Three Stanley Cup championships, twice the Hart Trophy winner as the league MVP, one of only a few members in the Triple Gold Club, almost 600 goals, and 1,600 points, the list of accolades continues to grow.
When it comes to the best homegrown draft pick on the Penguins, it can’t be anyone other than the captain. Malkin and Kris Letang fill out the other two prominent faces of the franchise, but Crosby has always stood above the rest.
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