Alex Ovechkin‘s diet is almost mythological at this point in his storied, 21-season NHL career.
The league’s all-time leading goal scorer wolfs down a Subway sub and a bag of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos on every road trip, famously would devour chicken parmesan from a local restaurant before home games, and is known to have soda, not water, in bottles on the Washington Capitals’ bench.
While the huge consumption of calories may have worked wonders for Ovechkin, his career-rival-turned-friend and fellow future first-ballot Hockey Hall of Famer, Sidney Crosby, doesn’t think he’d be able to stomach the same approach.
“No, I wish,” Crosby told Pat McAfee on ESPN. “I wish. I wish I could do that. But, yeah, he can do that. I think it hasn’t affected him one bit. He’s still filling the net.”
While Crosby is wary of how Ovechkin fuels his body, he doesn’t approach nutrition with the same meticulousness as some around the league, like his good friend Nathan MacKinnon. When asked if he weighs his food before he eats, a common practice for athletes, Crosby shot that down, noting that he has too big a sweet tooth.
“No, I mean, I try to keep an eye on it,” Crosby said. “I love sweets. I wouldn’t say I’m super dialed in, but I’m much better than I was. I wish I would have known a lot of this stuff when I was younger, for sure. I didn’t quite follow it as close then.”
Ovechkin and Crosby recently played their 100th career game against each other, regular season and playoffs combined. For now, before Ovechkin decides to return for another season with the Capitals, it will remain as the final matchup of a historic rivalry, as his current Caps contract is set to expire in July.
Ahead of the game, Crosby, alongside Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang, posed for a photo with Ovechkin during warmups. The two then met up postgame to exchange autographed jerseys and sticks in the latest chapter in what has become a closer relationship as the two superstars have aged.
“I think early on, just with how we came in and the rivalry, everything was built for each of us to be against each other,” Crosby said. “And with the playoff series and everything, it was just pretty natural for that to happen. But I think over the course of the years, getting to know him better, getting to know his family, and just playing against each other for that long. I think there’s just such a mutual respect there.
“So, it’s been pretty cool to be connected that early, to play as long as we have, and to see the career that he’s had, the expectations are so high, but to be the greatest goal scorer of all time and to come in with the expectations and to see that up close and to be able to relate to it a bit. Yeah, it’s kind of cool the way it’s all worked out.”
Ovechkin spoke with reporters on Thursday during the Capitals’ Breakdown Day and indicated that while his mind is still not made up, he is “pretty sure” that he hasn’t played his final game in the NHL just yet. And, if he is back next year with the Capitals, which will include more battles with Crosby, he’s probably bringing his awe-inspiring diet back with him.
