Alex Ovechkin hasn’t always been on the best of terms with the Pittsburgh Penguins, but both the team and its fans took time on Thursday night to recognize his historic career.
After Ovechkin became the first player in NHL history to join the 900-goal club on Wednesday night, several Penguins players made a point to congratulate him on the achievement when he came to Pittsburgh, with Evgeni Malkin even stopping by the Capitals’ locker room postgame for a jersey swap.
Malkin later posted a photo of the swap, captioned simply “900.”
Ovechkin has collected a slew of memorabilia, both from his own achievement and from opponents he’s faced over the years. His future planned museum in Russia already includes the puck and stick he used to score goal no. 895, and Malkin’s jersey will likely join the 900th-goal puck that Ovechkin recovered after an attempted theft from St. Louis Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington.
Sidney Crosby also dropped in to chat with Ovechkin after the milestone, per Washington Post reporter Bailey Johnson.
Though they’ve spent decades as rivals, Ovechkin, Crosby, and Malkin have developed a closer relationship in the twilight of their careers. Crosby and Malkin previously gifted Ovechkin with a custom Rolex after he broke the all-time NHL goal record this spring, a moment Ovechkin highlighted in a recent interview with ESPN’s Emily Kaplan.
“We have a battle through all those years and we have a very good relationship,” Ovechkin said. “And that, it shows the respect, and I respect Sid and Geno as players, and obviously as (people). So yeah, it was a pretty cool moment.”
That respect goes both ways, with Crosby praising Ovechkin shortly before he reached 900 goals.
“To be that consistent and that productive is pretty hard to even fathom,” Crosby said on Wednesday. “So I think, yeah, it’s a credit to him and just his consistency and his ability to find ways to score goals.”
During a stoppage in play on Thursday, the pair joked about the no-look backhand shot that got Ovechkin to the 900-goal mark.
“I was surprised,” Ovechkin told Crosby, “I’ll take it!”
Several other Penguins players congratulated Ovechkin mid-game for reaching 900 goals, including Erik Karlsson, who was on the ice in 2016 when Ovechkin scored his 500th career goal against the Ottawa Senators.
“Congrats big fella,” Karlsson said. “Great job, mate. I was there for your 500th. That was like 10 years ago. Crazy.”
“Flying,” Ovechkin said.
“Flying!” Karlsson echoed.
Even Penguins fans, who have spent decades cheering against Ovechkin, had nothing but appreciation for what he’s done, giving him a standing ovation after a tribute video honoring his 900th goal.
The Penguins certainly haven’t made Ovechkin’s career easy, knocking him out of the playoffs three times and strengthening a rivalry that Ovechkin later said “saved the NHL” after the 2004-05 lockout. But as his career nears its end, even the Pens are happy to celebrate Ovechkin’s place in history.
