Puck Prose
Fansided

NHL power rankings: Top 3 greatest centers of all-time

By Colton Pankiw

LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 27: (L-R) Former NHL players Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux speak onstage during the NHL 100 Media Availability as part of the 2017 NHL All-Star Weekend at the JW Marriott on January 27, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Chase Agnello-Dean/NHLI via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 27: (L-R) Former NHL players Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux speak onstage during the NHL 100 Media Availability as part of the 2017 NHL All-Star Weekend at the JW Marriott on January 27, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Chase Agnello-Dean/NHLI via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 3
Next
pittsburgh penguins, sidney crosby, nhl power rankings
Pittsburgh Penguins, Sidney Crosby #87 (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /

In this NHL power rankings article, we’re looking at the best centers.

The center position is the most important of the forwards. To be an elite center, you have to be great on both ends of the ice, in both being able to put up points while also shutting down the opposing teams’ top lines. In this week’s NHL power rankings, we’re looking at the top centers of all-time.

There are many terrific centers in the NHL today, including one who was good enough to crack this list. With that said, here are the top three centers to ever play the game.

3. Sidney Crosby

More from Puck Prose

At just 32 years old, Crosby has already established himself as one of the all-time greats. He currently sits sixth all time in points per game with players who have over 500 career points, with 1.284.

To this point in his career, he has played in 984 regular season games, posting a ridiculous 462 goals and 1263 points. His dominance has continued in the postseason, where he has played 164 games and has 186 points.

Crosby’s brilliance is proven by the amount of hardware he has won during his time in the league. To this point, he has two Art Ross Trophies, two Hart Trophies, two Maurice Richard Trophies, two Ted Lindsay Award’s, and a Lester B. Pearson Trophy.

Even more impressive are his three Stanley Cup Championships, including back to back championships in 2016 and 2017. He played huge roles in those Cup wins, and was awarded with the Conn Smythe Trophy in both 2016 and 2017 as a result.

Crosby has also shown his greatness at the international stage, helping Canada take home gold at both the 2010 and the 2014 Winter Olympics. During the 2010 tournament in Vancouver, he scored one of the most iconic goals of all time, as he slid the puck through the pads of USA goaltender Ryan Miller in overtime to win gold for Canada. The historic play is known as the “Golden Goal”.

To this point, Crosby has shown no signs of slowing down. It is possible that by the time his career his all said and done he climbs even further up lists like these in terms of all-time greats. Regardless, he is already one of the best to ever lace up the skates.

Home/All-Time Lists