By age 17, he was already being compared to such legends as Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux and Bobby Orr. Gretzky himself called the young center with the uncanny vision, passing skills and scoring touch the best player "since Mario" and the one most likely to shatter the Great One's records. Crosby got off to an auspicious start during his rookie season with the Penguins, becoming the youngest player in NHL history (18 years, 253 days) to top 100 points (39 goals, 63 assists), shattering Lemieux's rookie team scoring mark (100).