Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin look back on their iconic rivalry that shaped the league

By Cole Shelton

Modified Nov 23, 2023 15:10 GMT

Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin recently reflected on their rivalry that helped shape the league in the past two decades.

Ovechkin was drafted first overall in 2004, while Crosby was drafted first in 2005. The two were drafted to division rivals and given that they were dominant since their rookie seasons, which was the same year, the two have been compared to one another.

Throughout their careers, they have had a rivalry, which has made Washington Capitals vs. Pittsburgh Penguins games a must-watch. With both nearing the end of their careers, they spoke to The Athletic about their rivalry, which Ovechkin said saved the NHL:

“We saved the NHL."

Not only does Alex Ovechkin think he and Sidney Crosby saved the league, but former Detroit Red Wings star Brendan Shanahan agrees as their rookie NHL seasons came after a lockout.

“We banked a lot on them," Brendan Shanahan — a Hockey Hall of Fame player who is now the Toronto Maple Leafs president — said. “We’d lost a season. Our fans just wanted hockey back. But we had to make these new rules to open up the game, make it more attractive to our fans, casual fans, advertisers, everybody.

“That’s where Sid and Alex came in. It wasn’t explicitly said, ‘Hey, you guys go save the league.’ But, well, that was the hope. And it became obvious really fast they could.”

Although the media has made Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin a rivalry, the Russian says the two are friendly. He spoke about their careers as well:

“What’s happened between me and him, it’s staying between us. But that pressure — he gave it to me all those years. Kind of like, ‘OK, I have to work harder to be at the same (level).’ I’m pretty sure he was the same. … I think he gave me that kind of drive to go to the game and think, ‘OK, what’s he going to do?’

"Not just when we play each other. I’d think, ‘If he’s going to get four points or five points, I have to do the same.’ We played so much. So, team-wise, and personal-wise, we had to know who was No. 1. That was how I thought.”

Crosby and Ovechkin both aren't done yet

Although Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin are still top players in the NHL, they aren't the face of the league anymore. Instead, Connor McDavid, Connor Bedard and Auston Matthews have become the faces.

Alex Ovechkin said it's still up to those players to prove he and Crosby aren't the best anymore:

“We saved the league. Now they come in, and I guess we’re old news. But we saved it. It’s up to those guys to come in and prove me wrong that we’re not the best.”

As for what's next, both Crosby and Ovechkin haven't talked about retirement. But, at age 36 and 38, respectively, they arguably don't have much time left.

Once the two do retire, Sidney Crosby is open to sitting down with Ovechkin for a beer to talk about their special careers.

“Haven’t really thought that far ahead,” Crosby said. “I do drink beer. I know he does. So.. I think we probably both want to stick around a little longer. So it’s not time for those beers, or whatever we’ll drink, yet.

“But, yeah, probably we can relate to a lot of things that we’ve been through together over the years. … I think that feeling exists, that maybe we’ve been through something pretty special.”