This could be the last time the two NHL heavyweights crossed paths. Over the past two decades, Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby have cemented themselves as two of the sport’s greatest stars of all time. Crosby’s precision play and Ovechkin’s dominant style on the ice have not only helped their respective squads bag win after win, but have also given fans some of their best memories of the sport. Naturally, with Sidney’s time as the Penguins’ captain coming to a possible end, he had to pay his respects to one of his greatest rivals before heading out.

With 897 goals to his name, Alex is now the NHL’s all-time highest goalscorer. While Crosby does fall short in this department (625 goals), he makes up for it in style by boasting 1,062 assists, a number that far surpasses Ovechkin’s stats. Moreover, they are also pretty neck-to-neck in total career points. With this in mind, it suffices to say that Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby are seldom out of each other’s minds when they lace up. However, all that thrill could just be another part of the NHL’s lore in the coming days, as Crosby hints at a possible change of careers in the near future. And Sid didn’t want to end his epic rivalry on a sour note.

Alex Ovechkin and Sid Crosby look to put an end to the on-ice feud

At tonight’s Penguins vs Capitals game, Alex Ovechkin and Sid Crosby might have locked horns for the very last time. It was also the first time the two Metropolitan Division giants met after Ovie surpassed the “Great One” Wayne Gretzky’s long-standing record. And the Pittsburgh locker room had to nod its hat to the current chart topper. In a post by the team’s official Instagram account, captioned, “A gift for Gr8ness,” Alex Ovechkin could be seen standing in the corridor with the Pens’ Crosby and Evgeni Malkin on either side.

The Russian was holding a box of Rolex, while all three sported a grin on their faces. But it wasn’t only the Pitt players who lauded the 39-year-old for his seminal feat. Before the action unfolded on the ice, the Pen fans also hailed Alex for his milestone as the Moscow native was seen reveling in the applause while skating alone inside the rink. However, while these are the moments that make us believe why hockey is a beautiful sport, it’s not like Ovechkin and Crosby have always shared chuckles amongst one another.

Instead, keeping up with their elite status, both players have never held back from going all-in whenever they met. Over the years, the intense rivalry between the Capitals and the Penguins has also been felt on a more individual level. But it was also bound to happen. In their rookie years, 2005-06, Alex Ovechkin managed to pick up the prestigious Calder Memorial Trophy by defeating Crosby by a narrow margin, and a rivalry for the ages was born.

During the 2008-09 season, the two got embroiled in a heated physical altercation in the match where Washington won 5-2. Sid took a potshot at Ovechkin, as the latter responded by taking off the Penguins’ captain’s helmet. Then again, in 2018, after Alex’s “hockey son,” Tom Wilson, took out Pittsburgh’s Jamie Oleksiak during a game, Ovechkin was clearly heard challenging Crosby to a fight to put an end to the ongoing chaos.

However, it does look like that, standing on the edge of their scintillating careers, both Ovechkin and Crosby are looking to bury the hatchet once and for all. But their mutual intention to call a truce wouldn’t be surprising, either.

The stories keep piling up to go back to, once the curtain drops

While Alex Ovechkin has indeed achieved something truly remarkable, there seems to be a deafening silence from the community to acknowledge the titular feat. Apart from only a few NHL stars, like the Oilers’ Connor McDavid, there haven’t been many players who have stepped up to congratulate the Capitals’ captain. Under such circumstances, Crosby’s actions speak volumes. But are you really surprised?

Despite the intensity of the individual competition between Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby, both have also formed a strong bond that transcends beyond the on-ice action. They have often pondered over the thought of breaking open a cold one with each other after they’ve both hung up their boots. “What we did to NHL, it’s a tremendous thing. People gonna talk about Crosby and Ovechkin, Pittsburgh and Washington for maybe 20 or 50 more years, and it’s great,” Alex has previously stated about how both he and his colleague will go down in the NHL’s history pages.

It’s this kind of mutual respect-laden rivalry that makes it special. Won’t you agree? The Penguins bested the Capitals tonight to end their 2024-25 campaign in style. On the other hand, Alex Ovechkin’s squad, despite the defeat in its last game of the regular season, will head on to the playoffs in search of its second Stanley Cup, while the Pens’ offseason starts early. But will Crosby be rooting for Alex Ovechkin & Co. as the latter head into the postseason?