Which NHL team selected Sidney Crosby first overall in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft?

The Pittsburgh Penguins selected Sidney Crosby first overall in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft.

Crosby was chosen on July 30, 2005, at the draft in Ottawa, Ontario. The Penguins won a special draft lottery and used the first pick on the highly regarded Canadian center, who had become known as “The Next One” because of expectations that he could follow hockey icons such as Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux.

The 2005 draft required unusual procedures because the 2004–05 NHL season had been cancelled by a lockout. With no normal standings-based order, teams received weighted lottery chances based on recent playoff appearances and previous first-overall selections. The process became widely known as the “Sidney Crosby Sweepstakes.”

Crosby’s selection shaped the Penguins’ modern identity. He became the franchise’s captain and helped Pittsburgh win the Stanley Cup in 2009, 2016 and 2017. The key distinction is that Pittsburgh won the lottery and made the selection; Crosby was not selected by the league or assigned automatically.