Three legends. Two records. One common theme…greatness.
Wayne Gretzky is considered the greatest hockey player of all time by a large portion of hockey fans. Mario Lemeuix and Bobby Orr also get thrown into that conversation depending upon who you ask. For the countless amount of records Mr. Gretzky holds, two very long standing and monumental ones are set to go down within days of each other.
Despite a third straight season where the Penguins will be on the outside looking in on the playoffs, Sidney Crosby continues to forge his greatness. Despite the teams’ struggles, Crosby set a new record with 20 consecutive seasons where he registered a point-per-game scoring average. The previous record, held by Gretzky, is just a testament to how long Crosby has been doing this at an elite level.
He’ll be 38 when the next season starts. One of the greatest competitors the sport has ever seen, the desire to win and be great still burns in Crosby. Not playing in the playoffs has to eat away at Crosby worse than anyone realizes. He’s built to and has become accustomed to making the playoffs year over year and he hasn’t been there in a while.
The record everyone is talking about could fall as early as this week.
Alex Ovechkin is two goals away from tying Gretzky’s career goals record. With 892 career goals, a hat trick in his next game would give him the record. While that isn’t the likeliest outcome, it would be very poetic, wouldn’t it?
I’m young enough to say that I grew up watching Sid and Ovi battle it out every year, especially in the playoffs. In the early part of the rivalry, Crosby got the better of Ovechkin’s team every year. It took until 2018, the year after the Pens won their back-to–back Stanley Cup championships, for the Capitals to finally exercise those Penguin-sized playoff demons. They inevitably went on to hoist the trophy that year too for the only time in Ovechkin’s career.
Fast forward to 2025 and not only is Ovechkin chasing this record as he approaches his age-40 season, his Capitals have all but locked up home ice advantage in the Eastern Conference and are battling Winnipeg for the best team in all of hockey.
As a Penguin fan it is annoying to see the Capitals succeed while the Penguins try to claw their way out of the cellar but it also gives hope that we can see playoff hockey again in Sid’s career before he hangs it up, especially if he continues to play at an elite level as he has for 20-straight seasons.
The buzz was abound when Crosby and Ovechkin both came into the league. Hockey was in a rough state with the lockout and the product as a whole flailing. Sid and Ovi brought a dominance to the league that hadn’t been seen in quite some time as Gretzky had retired and Lemeuix’s health deteriorated before everyone’s eyes.
From the very first matchup in 2005 clear up until this season, every Crosby vs. Ovechkin matchup is must-see TV. The once young stars of the league have become the grizzled vets but both still do the things they do at an elite level.
Crosby and Ovechkin ran so that the MacKinnon’s, McDavid’s and the Matthews’ of the world could run. The NHL is certainly in great hands, however there wouldn’t have been any of them if numbers 8 & 87 hadn’t come around. Let’s not forget a certain number 71 that happens to be a fellow countryman of Ovechkin too.
Pens-Caps made for plenty of entertaining TV over the years and the rivalry always centered on what the team captains would do. Ovechkin would always be a threat to score and most Penguins fans hated him, myself included. But as time goes on, you start to appreciate the greatness.
When they finally got through the Penguins in the playoffs, it was a different feeling. You couldn’t be mad. The Pens had just won two straight Stanley Cups in the salary cap era. That doesn’t happen often. Sure, the initial moment was a shock but you could almost feel it coming.
The Penguins dynasty died that day. We weren’t sure of it then but we are now. However, the true greatness of Ovechkin began there. He finally had his shot at a Cup and he seized it.
Capitals fans surely hated Crosby. It probably felt reminiscent of how the Steelers felt losing to Tom Brady every year. To be the best, you had to beat the best. The Capitals took a while to finally get that done.
As their careers slowly draw to a close - both could probably play another three years at least - it’s fun to look back on everything. With the record chases where they stand with both guys, no time felt better than now to look back on everything. Soon, both Crosby and Ovechkin can claim two of the most unforgettable and prestigious records in NHL history that they both took off of the man presumed by most to be the G.O.A.T.
Luckily, if you’re reading this, you likely got to experience most of, if not all, of that greatness in one lifetime.
(picture courtesy of Sports Illustrated)