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Players say Penguins' Sidney Crosby is NHL's most complete player

Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby was named the NHL's most complete player, while Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand earned both best and worst trash-talker honors in the 2019-20 NHL Players Association poll released Tuesday.

The annual survey featured 588 current players answering anonymously, with questions ranging from most talented player at each position to best NHL mascot -- an award that Gritty of the Philadelphia Flyers won with 69.5% of the vote.

Among the highlights:

  • When asked whether they would be in favor of "relaxing the game-day dress code, similar to the NBA," 73% of the NHL players polled supported it.

  • When asked whether players should showcase their personalities on the ice with personalized equipment, only 53% of players were in favor of it; of those who supported it, 43.6% said they supported custom skate designs.

  • Crosby won three categories: most complete player (45.4%), ahead of Boston Bruins center Patrice Bergeron (25.5%); the player his peers would most like to see on social media (26%); and the player they'd choose to win one game, as Crosby (44%) outpaced Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid (30.6%). For best forward, it was McDavid (68.3%) over Crosby (15%) in the voting.

  • Victor Hedman of the Tampa Bay Lightning (37.8%) captured best defenseman over Washington Capitals defender John Carlson (21.4%). Montreal Canadiens goalie Carey Price was named top goaltender for the third straight poll with 41.7% of the vote, topping 2019 Vezina Trophy winner Andrei Vasilevskiy (17%).

  • For the second straight season, Marchand was named the best trash-talker (25.7%) and the worst trash-talker (11%), with Drew Doughty of the Los Angeles Kings ranking second in both categories.

  • Canada's Marie-Philip Poulin and U.S. stars Hilary Knight and Kendall Coyne Schofield were listed as choices for best female hockey player; Poulin won with 40% of the vote, ahead of Knight (36.3%).

  • Montreal's Bell Centre (31.8%) won best ice for the third straight season, while Edmonton (38%) was named the best visiting locker room.

  • The Chicago Blackhawks won for best hockey jersey (28.3%), with the third-year Vegas Golden Knights tying the Original Six Toronto Maple Leafs for second (6.8%).

  • Among other superlatives: Florida Panthers defenseman Keith Yandle was named funniest player (18%) for the second straight season; St. Louis Blues stars David Perron and Ryan O'Reilly (6.5%) won for "best bromance;" New Jersey Devils defenseman P.K. Subban (13.7%) was named the best social media follow; Canadiens forward Tomas "Tuna" Tatar earned best nickname (8.1%) for the second straight season; and Dallas Stars forward Joe Pavelski (16%) was named top golfer.

  • Finally, Wayne Gretzky (32.8%) was named the player that NHLPA members would pay to watch. The question specified "past or present," and McDavid (8%) was the only current player to make the top five.