July 13, 2017
Pittsburgh Penguins' Sidney Crosby holds the Conn Smythe Trophy following Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final between the Nashville Predators and the Pittsburgh Penguins on June 11, 2017, at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. GETTY IMAGES/ICON SPORTSWIRE/Danny Murphy
Connor McDavid has the $100 million contract and the NHL's latest Art Ross Trophy, but Pittsburgh Penguins standout Sidney Crosby remained hockey's signature headliner after the 25th anniversary ESPYs show on Wednesday.
Crosby, McDavid, the Toronto Maple Leafs' Auston Matthews, the Columbus Blue Jackets' Sergei Bobrovsky and the Chicago Blackhawks' Patrick Kane were nominated for the Best NHL Player honor, but it was Crosby who took the accolade for the eighth -- yes, eighth -- time in his distinguished career.
Was it the right call?
Absolutely.
McDavid may surpass Crosby as the league's premier scorer sooner rather than later, and his 100 points in 2016-17 are hard to ignore. But Sid The (Older) Kid still had 44 goals, his highest mark in eight years, and also played a big part in Pittsburgh's title run. Sound familiar? His second straight Conn Smythe Trophy all but solidified his case for a second straight ESPY.
Crosby, as was the case at the NHL awards show in June, didn't come away with every honor for which he was nominated, though.
The Oklahoma City Thunder's Russell Westbrook took home the Best Male Athlete award, which featured Crosby, Chicago Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant and Olympic gold medalist swimmer Michael Phelps as nominees.
And Crosby's Penguins, up for the Best Team award after their repeat Stanley Cup title, fell short to the NBA's Golden State Warriors.
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