Alex Ovechkin said on All-Star Media Day that he and Sidney Crosby are “good friends” who call and text each other.

“I’m pretty sure when me and him is going to be retired, we’re going to have a couple of beers together,” Ovechkin observed.

But does Crosby feel the same way? The Penguins captain was asked about Ovechkin’s proposed beer summit on Friday before the All-Star Skills Competition.

“Oh yeah,” Crosby said smiling according to The Hockey News’ Mike Stephens. “We have a lot to catch up on.”

Would Sidney Crosby want to grab a beer with Alex Ovechkin at the end of their careers and look back at their careers?

“Oh yeah. We have a lot to catch up on” pic.twitter.com/GbEeakENEv

— Mike Stephens (@mikeystephens81) February 3, 2023

Ovechkin and Crosby entered the NHL together as rookies in 2005 and joined a Capitals-Penguins rivalry that was already combustible. The two young stars, who were called the Bird and Magic of the NHL, further added fuel to that fire when they competed neck-in-neck for the Calder Trophy in 2006, which Ovechkin ultimately won.

It wasn’t the only trophy they’d fight tooth and nail with each other for. Crosby would help lead the Penguins to three Stanley Cups while Ovechkin’s Capitals won once in 2018. In all four of those championship years, the Capitals and Penguins played each other in the playoffs. Individually speaking, Ovechkin owns more Hart Trophies as league MVP (3-2) and Rocket Richard Trophies (9-2) while Crosby has been the NHL’s leading scorer more (2-1).

On the ice, Ovechkin and Crosby have traded big hits, face washes, and whimsically spoke about face-punching each other. Crosby even led his team off the ice during the 2011 Winter Classic and would not shake hands with the Capitals after their loss.

But as the two players have entered legendary status later in their careers, the rivalry has cooled and the two players have tried to mend fences. In a recent joint interview, Crosby said it would be awesome if Ovechkin topped Wayne Gretzky as the league’s all-time goal scorer. Ovechkin sent a congratulatory video to Crosby when the latter played in his 1,000th career game.

“We played against each other for a long time,” Crosby said according to DK Pittsburgh Sports’ Taylor Haase. “But being able to share experiences like this, I think are pretty unique.

“We’ve always had big games against each other, and obviously always had the microscope on us,” he added. “But to be able to — in a relaxed environment like this — just catch up a bit, it’s nice to share that with him. I think it’s definitely something that I appreciate more and more with every year, just been able to compete against him all these years.”

Ovechkin and Crosby will team up with each other in the Breakaway Challenge though it’s unclear what they have planned.

But if it’s anything like how the prior 17 seasons have gone, it should be impressive and memorable.

Headline photo: Wil Stewart on Unsplash