Marchand: Crosby 'by far' NHL's best all-around player

Brad Marchand wants to make sure people don't forget about Sidney Crosby in a discussion of the NHL's elite.

The Boston Bruins winger believes the Pittsburgh Penguins star and another Nova Scotian center, Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche, are the cream of the crop in terms of two-way play.

"I think (Crosby is) still obviously one of the best in the world, but he’s not really getting the credit he deserves right now,” Marchand said, according to NHL.com's Amalie Benjamin. “A lot of the attention is on the younger guys, but if you look at the details of the game, and full 200 feet, he’s by far the best player in the league, him and (MacKinnon).”

Crosby earned his ninth All-Star nod Thursday when the league revealed the first 32 players heading to the festivities in Toronto next month. MacKinnon also cracked the initial list amid a Hart Trophy-worthy season.

Marchand acknowledged that much of the attention at the All-Star Game will be on younger players like the league's leading goal scorer, Auston Matthews, and three-time Hart winner Connor McDavid. But the Bruins winger lauded Crosby for the success he's had playing a different style.

“He’s not as flashy as some of the higher-end guys,” Marchand said. “He’s direct. He plays safe but he plays hard and direct. He plays a winning game. I think he’s learned how to play the right way that you need to play in playoffs to have success. He plays that the entire season. He’s not trying to beat somebody one-on-one every time he gets the puck. He tries to find open space and find the open man, he moves it quick.”

Marchand typically trains with Crosby and MacKinnon in the summer. All three hail from Nova Scotia; the latter two are from Cole Harbour, while Marchand is from Hammonds Plains.

Crosby scored the eventual game-winner for the Penguins midway through the third period of a 6-5 victory over the Bruins on Thursday night. He netted the decisive tally about eight minutes after Marchand tied it while shorthanded. Crosby also collected a pair of assists, while Marchand's marker was his second of the contest.