The Crosby Ovechkin rivalry might be at an end. With the Penguins locked into their playoff spot, they played back-to-back games against Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals, who are fighting for their playoff livelihood. The Penguins played neither game with their full complement of players, each game saw at least five players “out” with injury (really just rest for the playoffs). As a Penguins guy it was hard to really care about the results due to the fact they never played at full strength and there was an obvious timidness to the players who will be in the lineup this upcoming weekend. One thing that did matter over the weekend was honoring the career, and rivalry, that Alex Ovechkin provided to the Penguins and the entire NHL.
If you would have asked me 10 years ago if I would ever stand up and applaud Ovechkin, for any reason, I would have likely smacked you in the face. He has always been the antithesis of Crosby, but in a way, they needed each other. Crosby was a complete hockey player who grinded in the corners and out thought his opponents. Ovechkin was rarely found in the defensive zone and wouldn’t be found grinding in the corners, but you could always find him laying huge hits in open ice and scoring the same goal over, and over, and over again. If these two never existed, the NHL may have crumbled. That is not hyperbole. The league went into a lockout and when they returned, they immediately had one of the best rivalries in sports. The two faces of the league delivered every single time they faced each other. Each guy needed to go through the other in the playoffs in routes to their Stanley Cups. Dueling hattricks in the playoffs. Years of heartbreaking loses for Ovi at the hands of Crosby were finally conquered in 2018. When they played each other, you could tell that it just meant more than 2 points in the regular season, or one game in a seven-game series. These games were about legacy every single time they squared off. As a league they got so lucky to have these two face each other 100 times and also have both of their teams be consistently relevant for the past 20 years. Obviously, Crosby is the better player, but to have two top 10 all time talents go at it all these years really was special. So, despite my hatred for the guy for many years of course I stood up to show him respect in what might have been his final trip into Pittsburgh.
Evgeni Malkin is always forgotten about and not just in this scenario. He was left off the top 100 players list. He wasn’t shouted out during the Capitals congratulatory video for Sid/Ovi coming to an end. He is just as big of a factor into all of this, maybe even more so than Sid. Geno is a fellow countryman of Ovechkin and the two were great friends growing up. As the rivalry grew Malkin’s relationship with Ovechkin waned. It took years, and likely Ovi finally winning, for them to reconcile their relationship. Ovechkin once hurt Malkin’s mentor, and homeowner, Sergei Gonchar in a playoff game and it led to Malkin going at it with Ovi several times over the next few years. Malkin, much like Crosby, always turned up for these games and deserves to be mentioned for his part in all of this even if he is just a smidge below their tier of all-time talents (and certainly way higher than top 100).
Being a fan deeply invested into this rivalry has been special. I hated the Capitals, and I hated Ovechkin. Every year you just knew these two would find one another in the playoffs and it would be a war. I would have Adrenaline pumping through my body so much during every single one of these series that it was difficult to sleep. I would sit on the couch, or in the stands, literally at the edge of my seat with my heart pumping through my chest every single time Mike Green or John Carlsson would slide a pass over to Ovechkin on the power-play. These games really were Magic vs. Bird, Brady vs. Manning, or Ali vs. Frazier on skates and we are all better people for being witness to it all. Credit to everyone in Pittsburgh and Washington for showing a proper adieu to Ovi (if this really is it), for all he has given us throughout the years he deserves his thanks.
Now, it is unlikely, but it is entirely possible the Penguins might face Ovi and the Caps one final time. The Penguins lost both games this weekend after benching significant portions of their lineup. This is relevant because the Capitals needed to win their final three games for a chance at the playoffs and the Penguins handed them two games this weekend. While it’s unlikely, they make it because Philadelphia just needs two points over their final two games it’s now entirely possible. The Flyers play Carolina who needs one more win to secure 1st in the East and Montreal who will be playing for seeding in the Atlantic division. Those games aren’t easy for the Flyers by any means. The Capitals have a loser leaves town game against Columbus. Should Philadelphia embarrassingly falter, and Washington beats Columbus, we may see Sid/Ovi in the playoffs one final time. If this happens, I can guarantee I won’t be throwing around anymore tummy sticks to Ovi because my brain will immediately revert to its old form and hate him, and his team, with the passion of 1000 burning suns. Never forget that while this rivalry has been great Sid has three Stanley Cups and Ovi has one which was only given to him because he got to play the Penguins after back-to-back victories and they were running on fumes.
For all the fans of the league I think we deserve to see them go head-to-head one last time in the playoffs.
