Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby have defined an era of hockey, two sides of an iconic rivalry that has captured fans’ attention for decades. They’ve faced each other in four playoff series and 70 regular-season games, both becoming such superstars that Ovechkin later said the pair “saved the NHL” after the 2004-05 lockout.
Now in the twilights of their careers — and after both players’ respective Stanley Cup wins — Ovechkin and Crosby’s relationship has softened. Their professional rivalry has remained plenty strong, but the two have become friends off the ice as they look back at their shared legacy.
So when Ovechkin scored his 894th career goal Friday night, tying Wayne Gretzky for the all-time record, Crosby had nothing but praise for his longtime opponent’s accomplishment.
“It was pretty exciting,” Crosby said Saturday. “Just that last couple of minutes, when he kept pushing, trying to get that next one. I think for anyone who is a fan of the game and appreciates what he’s doing, it’s pretty cool to see. I thought he was going to get it before the end of that (game). It was just a matter of time the last couple of years. Especially — what he’s done this year is pretty incredible. At this point it’s just a matter of time.”
The longtime Pittsburgh Penguins captain may have spent much of his career trying to slow Ovechkin down, but he has plenty of appreciation for the bond they share and the role he has played in Ovechkin’s pursuit of history.
“To be able to play in the same division, to have had the history that we have over the years… to come in at the same time with pretty high expectations and to see him this close to what was thought to be an untouchable record, it’s incredible what he’s doing,” Crosby said in September. “I feel grateful to be part of that. As a player, you want to compete at the highest level. To be in that conversation with him over the years, I hope that we’ve gotten the best out of each other, and hopefully we’ve got some strong years left here.”
Ovechkin wasn’t able to notch goal no. 895 against the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday, but Crosby flashed his own goal-scoring talents against the Dallas Stars a day later. In a game reminiscent of Ovechkin and Crosby’s dueling hat tricks back in 2009, both Crosby and Dallas’ Evgenii Dadonov recorded a trio of goals in a 5-3 Penguins win.
If Ovechkin breaks the record in the coming days, Crosby will soon have an opportunity to congratulate him in person. The Capitals and Penguins will face off one last time to close out their regular seasons on April 17.
