"I don’t think there's any question Sidney Crosby is the best all-around player in the game,” Gretzky told ESPN. “His hockey sense is so strong and so solid, combined with his God-gifted talent of being able to see the ice, see the entire picture in front of him. And, most importantly, I don’t care how good you are, if you don’t have a work ethic, it doesn’t matter. There’s no question that each and every game, he’s one of the hardest-working guys on the ice. In my mind, he’s the best player in the game today.
And the thing about him – he plays in all the dirty areas. He’s never hesitant to go to the boards, go to the corners or go to the front of the net. As good as he is and as much finesse as he has, he’s somewhat of a grinder, too, like a Messier- or a Bobby Clarke-style in the sense that he’ll go anywhere to get the job done. That’s what Sidney does. In my opinion, he leaps above anybody else, and there’s some great players in the game today."