“It’s special,” the Pittsburgh Penguins’ captain, Sidney Crosby, confessed last year when talking about the Caps’ Alex Ovechkin. The rivalry between the Canadian and the Russian, which began more than two decades ago, has been one for the ages. Despite the Pens’ poor performance this season, Crosby’s incredible individual skills with the puck continue to make fans draw parallels between him and Ovie. But a scintillating rivalry doesn’t mean there is no mutual respect between the NHL Goliaths.

When Sidney Crosby said the sentence above, Alex was still chasing Wayne Gretzky’s 894-goal record. But now he’s surpassed it and is seated in a league of his own. As Washington headed to the PPG Paints Arena for one last time in the 2024-25 campaign, the Pittsburgh powerhouse had to take the moment to hail Ovechkin’s incredible feat from days ago.

The Capitals’ “good lady reporter”, Bailey Johnson, took to X on April 17 to share scenes from Washington’s last game of the regular season. Nodding their hats at the incredible event that was the culmination of the “Gr8 Chase”, the Penguins’ home arena gave Alex Ovechkin the respect he deserves on Thursday night. “The Penguins honor Alex Ovechkin for breaking Wayne Gretzky’s record,” Johnson’s post reads as the Caps’ captain can be seen skating alone on the ice, and reveling in the cheers and applause of the home fans.

Before tonight’s game, Ovechkin was asked if he was excited for the match against the Pens, and if going against Sidney Crosby was still as important. “I’m not retire yet, so,” grinned the 39-year-old in response, suggesting that this might not be the last time they cross paths inside the rink. However, while it remains to be seen how their rivalry unfolds in the coming days, it looks like Crosby & Co. didn’t want to let the opportunity at hand slide to pay their respects to the Moscow native for his seminal achievement.

Over the years, Ovechkin and Crosby have formed a bond that goes beyond the ice. Despite the massive gap in some of their stats, both the Penguins’ star and the Capitals’ captain have nothing but respect for each other. Their rivalry was ignited when, in their rookie season, Ovechkin only narrowly edged out Sidney Crosby to win the Calder Memorial Trophy. Naturally, the young Turks were determined to even the scores amongst themselves, irrespective of their respective camps’ performances.

“…first couple years was not that good. But right now we talk like ‘congrats’ each other if we hit some milestones, so those relationships, some of the battle, in like hockey, outside of hockey it’s a different thing.” Ovechkin said about how both he and Sidney Crosby have come a long way since that 2005-2006 season. “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 added.

Both of these NHL celebrities have expressed their wish to meet up over a cold one after everything is over. After Alex surpassed Gretzky, Sidney Crosby was one of the first to congratulate him on this once-thought-impossible feat. Maybe it’s this kind of support from a rival that has made it something more than just that.

The last Pens vs. Caps match of the season saw the hosts defending the fort with a flamboyant 5-2 victory. Both Sidney and Ovechkin bagged a goal apiece to finish off the regular season. But while that might just make them admire each other more, could this be the last time that the fans get to see Crosby’s pursuit of the Stanley Cup?

Did the dream end for Sidney Crosby?

Crosby has racked up an incredible 91 points this season. Keeping that in mind, it’s safe to say that his individual season has been much brighter than his squad’s. As far as his retirement is concerned, the veteran has made things clear. “As far as my age, I don’t think about it a whole lot. I just try to prepare for the next one, “ he explained earlier this month. He’ll continue to hit the ice as long as he still loves the game and is willing to put in the grind. But then again, the lack of a set date or timeline leaves room for speculation, especially since the Penguins’ star could be part of an exciting new venture. Well, he’ll have some time to mull over things as he watches the postseason from the sidelines.

The Pittsburgh Penguins have won the Stanley Cup an incredible five times, with three of them coming during Crosby’s tenure. However, with 80 points and a 34-36-12 record, the Pens haven’t secured a spot in the playoffs. On the other hand, Washington has clinched the division and the conference with 111 (51-22-9) points. That being said, things haven’t been all too great for the Caps in recent days.

In two back-to-back matches, the Blue Jackets trounced Washington 7-0 and 4-1. Fans were livid and called for the coach to refrain from trying to meddle with the lineup. On the other hand, Pittsburgh will head on to the playoffs with 5 wins in its last 10 games. Sidney Crosby had previously noted that playing the same division as Ovechkin has a special feel to it. But could that thriller unfold again this postseason? Would his sentiments be bolstered again as Ovechkin goes on to represent the Metropolitan Division in the playoffs? What do you reckon?