The Great 8 vs. Sid the Kid: End of an era?

The amazing thing about sports is the relationships formed between players, organizations and fanbases. Hockey, known globally for its fast-paced intensity, is one specific sport built on heated rivalries and love-hate relationships. One of the most important rivalries in the history of the NHL lies between two all-time greats, Alexander Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby. 

Since its establishment in 1917, the National Hockey League has seen 27 different franchises hoist the Stanley Cup. Between Ovechkin and Crosby, they have brought four Stanley Cups to their respective teams, with Crosby winning three for the city of Pittsburgh and Ovechkin winning one for Washington, D.C.

The first NHL MVP award was given in 1924, originally named the “Hart Trophy.” In 1960, the NHL officially renamed it the Hart Memorial Trophy. Ovechkin has won the award three times, while Crosby has earned it twice. Ovechkin also stands as the all-time leading regular-season goal scorer with 929, having passed Wayne Gretzky with a slapshot against the New York Islanders on April 6, 2025. 

These all-time greats come from different countries, different backgrounds and different cultures but have been the faces of the NHL since entering the league. 

Alexander Ovechkin, nicknamed “the Great 8,” was born in Moscow, Russia, on Sept. 17, 1985. He grew up in a household with two older brothers, alongside his athletic parents, who both played professional sports. Ovi’s oldest brother, Sergei, had a great influence on Alex’s early love for hockey. 

When Alex was just 10 years old, Sergei passed away at 24 from a blood clot following a tragic car accident. After losing his older brother at such a young age, Alex continued to play hockey seriously with heavy support from his parents, Tatyana and Mikhail. 

Ovechkin was selected first overall by the Washington Capitals in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft. Although drafted in ‘04, Ovi had to wait a season to make his NHL debut due to the 2004-05 lockout. 

On the other side of the world, Sidney Crosby was slowly grinding his way to be at the top of the hockey world. 

Sidney Crosby was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, in August of 1987. He grew up with his parents and younger sister Taylor. At just two years old, Crosby began playing hockey in his home basement before learning to skate at the age of three. When Crosby turned 15, he began taking hockey more seriously. He moved to Minnesota to play for Shattuck-St. Mary’s, a boarding school with higher competition. 

In 2005, when he turned 18, he was drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins first overall. He made his debut on Oct. 5, 2005. Crosby picked up his first NHL point with an assist to Mark Recchi in a 5-1 loss to the New Jersey Devils. Despite the Pens missing the playoffs, “Sid the Kid” recorded 39 goals and 63 assists. 

On November 22, 2005, Crosby and Ovechkin faced off for the first of many times. The two young stars battled to the end with Crosby’s Penguins winning in a close 5-4 game. Crosby ended the game with a goal and an assist, with Ovi notching an assist himself. 

The Penguins won the second matchup during their rookie season, with Crosby scoring and assisting three goals in an 8-1 rout over Washington. Ovechkin scored the solo goal for the Caps.

Sidney Crosby finished his rookie season with 102 total points, with Ovechkin edging him out to win the Calder Memorial Trophy as the NHL’s Rookie of the Year award with 106 points.

Since 2009, the Penguins and Capitals have met in the playoffs four times, with the Penguins winning three of those series. Their first April clash was in the conference second round. Pittsburgh won that series in a classic seven-game series, where Crosby and Ovechkin each scored hat-tricks in Game 2. The Penguins then went on to sweep the Hurricanes in the Conference Finals before beating the Detroit Red Wings to win the Stanley Cup.

The Capitals came up short against the Penguins in the postseason, with Pittsburgh winning back-to-back championships in the following two meetings. Both stars scored two goals in the 2017 postseason second round matchup, with Ovechkin recording one more assist. 

In 2018, the Capitals finally won a playoff series against Pittsburgh. Ovechkin outdueled Crosby to win Washington its first-ever Stanley Cup.

Both Sid the Kid and the Great 8 have been dominating the league for over two decades. Ovechkin’s contract is up and he is now an Unrestricted Free Agent. He will decide whether or not to re-sign with Washington, move teams, or retire. 

In their last matchup of the 2026 regular season, the Penguins lost 6-3 to the Capitals after already clinching a postseason berth. Ovechkin scored what could have been his final goal at PPG Paints Arena, should he choose to finish his career. The Pittsburgh Penguins held a moment of recognition for Ovi during that game, celebrating an outstanding career and 21 great years of intense rivalries.

The NHL has big shoes to fill with this rivalry potentially ending. Crosby has won more Stanley Cups for the City of Pittsburgh than Ovi has for Washington, D.C., with Ovi holding records that no player in NHL history might ever reach. It depends how you look at it. Either way, the battles between these two will be forever cherished.