Wayne Gretzky compares Sidney Crosby to multiple GOATs in ultimate praise

They call Wayne Gretzky "The Great One." He certainly knows greatness.

And when he watches Pittsburgh Penguins and Canadian legend Sidney Crosby, that's exactly what he sees.

Gretzky joined The Pat McAfee Show on Thursday, and they got to talking about the career of Crosby, which is winding down but by no means is over.

"Sidney Crosby is our Tom Brady and our LeBron James," Gretzky said.

Brady is the relatively unquestioned greatest player in NFL history. LeBron is either first or second all-time in the NBA on most lists.

Gretzky himself is the best hockey player ever, but it's not long down the list before you'd start including Crosby. For this generation, he's that dude.

He also was one of those phenoms who people knew about very early, including Gretzky.

"I was on the ice with him when he was 14 years old and I could see how good he was then," Gretzky told McAfee.

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Crosby has one year remaining on his current contract with the Penguins. He's playing in the IIHF World Championships for Canada, too. Clearly, Sid still loves to be on the ice.

"He should play for as long as he wants to play," Gretzky said of Crosby.

It's certainly a cool thing to get all these thoughts from Gretzky. In a media role in recent years, Gretzky has gotten to share his takes, but it's still not all that often that one all-time great goes in-depth about another.

Crosby is clearly someone that Gretzky admires, and it's almost certainly mutual. Game recognizes game.

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