For over 20 years, the NHL has been defined by two players: Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals.
These two players have been linked together ever since they stepped on the rink opposite each other. Whether that was at the World Juniors or the World Championship, then again, in the National Hockey League and on the Olympic stage, you can’t mention one without the other.
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For years, we saw this in men’s tennis with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. You could say the same thing with Nadal and Djokovic. However, Federer and Nadal were beloved tennis figures like Crosby and Ovechkin, who are beloved figures in the NHL. There might be some disagreement on the latter statement, but genuinely, people want to see top players succeed, but maybe not their teams so much.
If you look at what happened on Sunday on Long Island inside the UBS Arena as Ovechkin chased Gretzky for the most goals in the NHL, it was the same feeling people got when he was chasing his first Stanley Cup. Fans of the NHL and hockey fans in general wanted to see it happen. Everyone involved was thrilled once Alex Ovechkin scored goal 895 , passing Wayne Gretzky (894) for the most goals in NHL history.
ALEX OVECHKIN IS THE GREATEST GOALSCORER IN NHL HISTORY! ??? #Gr8ness pic.twitter.com/NKef3VvNaJ
— NHL (@NHL) April 6, 2025
Just look at the excitement on his face. The Swan Dive onto the ice for the goal celebration, similar to the swan dive into the fountain after he won the Stanley Cup. With Wayne Gretzky, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, and others in attendance at UBS Arena, fans wanted to see it happen. Ovechkin’s teammates, past and present, were there to see him break the record.
It was a great moment for the sport of hockey. Nobody, not even Ovechkin himself, thought that a record like this was going to be broken. This was history in the making, whether you watched it on TV or paid the money to get into the building. Whether it was New York Islanders fans or Washington Capitals fans who drove up, everyone was on the edge of their seat waiting for him to score the record-breaking goal.
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His long-time rival and friend Sidney Crosby was watching on. As previously mentioned, these guys are the NHL’s version of Federal and Nadal. You can debate who is who in the NHL, but these guys have so much respect for each other. They both came into the league in 2005-06 after the 04-05 lockout. Ovechkin won the Calder Trophy as NHL Rookie of the Year that year, with Crosby right behind him.
“I mean, it’s pretty rare that you go head-to-head like that. End up being in the same division, coming in with those kinds of expectations and the playoff series and everything that goes along with it… it’s unique, and I definitely appreciate it, and that’s something that is great for the game of hockey,” Crosby told the media on Sunday. “But it’s something that I think there’s mutual respect there as well.”
Crosby has been nothing but respectful along the way. He has such respect for the game and was nothing but complimentary of Ovechkin breaking a record.
“It’s hard to put into words,” said Sidney Crosby, who told the media on Sunday after his Penguins lost to the Blackhawks. “Playing against each other for 20 years and him accomplishing some great things over that time, but this one was probably thought to not be attainable, and he found a way to do it. So, it’s pretty incredible. An amazing moment for him, his family, his teammates, and obviously the whole league.”
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And Ovechkin was not the only one of the bunch to break a Gretzky record this season. Maybe not as sexy as the goal record, but certainly an accomplishment was Crosby notching his 20th season averaging a point per game. Crosby and Gretzky were tied at 19 seasons each, averaging a point per game. Two records going down the drain by two of the all-time greats in NHL history.
?Night Cap Recap ?
Alex Ovechkin Makes History Goal 895 #allcaps #isles #nhl #Gr8Chase pic.twitter.com/BkwAfZ5cIy
— Jim Biringer (@JimBiringer) April 6, 2025
Think about what these two have accomplished. Ovechkin, now 39, who missed 16 games this season with a broken leg and went on a tear with 27 goals in the last 42 games, including 20 goals in the last 27 games. He scored goals in five straight to break the record. He was already on fire to start the year with 15 goals in the first 18 games before the injury. Had he not gotten hurt, Ovechkin would not have notched his 10th 50-goal season, breaking another record with Gretzky and Mike Bossy for nine 50-goal seasons.
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Crosby, now 37 going on 38, still has two more seasons left with his new contract kicking in this July 1st. He continues to put the Penguins on his pack. He just notched another 30-goal season and continues to be a model of consistency in the NHL. Ovechkin has one more year left on his deal. We know what he has said once the record was broken and the contract was done; he was going to retire.
However, if these guys are going to play at this high level, they could play into their 40s. When you say it can’t be done, there is Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin once again defying the odds. Whether it is a down season or coming back from an injury, who would have thought they would have joint at the hip for this long?
Whether fans liked it or not, the NHL chose wisely, making Crosby and Ovechkin the faces of the game for close to two decades because without one, there isn’t the other.
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