Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby made more history on Tuesday, January 2, 2024.
The two future Hall of Famers scored in the same game for the first time since 2018. The last time they did so was on November 7, 2018 — with 16 Caps-Penguins regular season matchups in between.
Tuesday’s game, which resulted in a 4-3 Capitals win, was the two players’ 67th career matchup in the regular season.
Ovechkin bit first, notching his 1,507th point with a wrist shot from just in front of the blue line — which may or may not have been a goal on accident. The goal came at the 19:18 mark of the period to give the Capitals a 4-0 lead.
Crosby responded 9:11 into the second period to clock his 1,539th career point with a chip shot from the paint.
Both goals in Tuesday’s game occurred on the power play, marking Ovechkin’s 302nd PPG (most all time) and Crosby’s 167th. Ovechkin’s goal would end up being the game-winner — the 126th of his career (second most in NHL history).
The pair have scored goals in the same Capitals-Penguins game a total of 16 times during their 19 years pro. Ten of those games took place in the regular season, while six were postseason battles. The two have seen a lot of each other over the years in the Eastern Conference, playing in the same division since 2013, where they have matched up against each other nearly four times a year. They’ve also played against each other in postseason series four different times.
Games Ovechkin and Crosby have both scored (reg. season)
| Sid Goals | Ovi Goals | Date | Result | Location |
| 1 | 1 | 1/25/2006 | 8-1 PIT | PIT |
| 1 | 1 | 2/11/2006 | 6-3 PIT | WSH |
| 1 | 1 | 3/8/2009 | 4-3 (SO) PIT | WSH |
| 1 | 2 | 1/21/2010 | 6-3 WSH | PIT |
| 2 | 3 | 2/7/2010 | 5-4 (OT) WSH | WSH |
| 1 | 2 | 4/6/2010 | 6-3 WSH | PIT |
| 1 | 1 | 2/7/2013 | 5-2 PIT | PIT |
| 1 | 1 | 2/25/2015 | 4-3 PIT | WSH |
| 1 | 1 | 11/7/2018 | 2-1 WSH | WSH |
| 1 | 1 | 1/2/2024 | 4-3 WSH | PIT |
The very first example came all the way back in 2006 during both men’s rookie NHL season. Ovechkin scored the lone Capitals goal in that contest, assisted by road roommate Brian Willsie and Dainius Zubrus. Crosby put away Pittsburgh’s sixth goal in a game that ended in an 8-1 blowout in favor of the Penguins.
Games Ovechkin and Crosby have both scored (playoffs)
| Sid Goals | Ovi Goals | Date | Result | Location |
| 1 | 1 | 5/2/2009 | 3-2 WSH | WSH |
| 3 | 3 | 5/4/2009 | 4-3 WSH | WSH |
| 2 | 1 | 5/13/2009 | 6-2 PIT | WSH |
| 2 | 1 | 4/27/2017 | 3-2 PIT | WSH |
| 1 | 1 | 4/26/2018 | 3-2 PIT | WSH |
| 1 | 1 | 5/1/2018 | 4-3 WSH | PIT |
The most famous game Ovechkin and Crosby both scored in was their dueling hat trick game that occurred on May 4 in the 2009 playoffs. Both legends scored three different times in what would end up being a 4-3 Capitals win.
The Dueling Hat Tricks game is one of two times in history both Ovechkin and Crosby have put forward a multi-goal effort in the same game. The only regular season example took place February 7th, 2010, and resulted in a 5-4 Washington win after Ovi pulled out a hat trick to secure a win for his Capitals. That game saw a whole 74 minutes in penalties amassed including four misconducts.
The Great Eight and Sid The Kid, a rivalry that some say saved the NHL, are both in their late thirties, and while there’s still time left in their respective careers, the night they had on Tuesday could be the last time hockey fans see these two light the lamp in the same game.
That’s hard to imagine.
Table via Alexander O’Reilly, numbers thanks to hockey-reference.com
