After scoring, Ovechkin turned and did a belly flop on the ice, sliding over the blue line before being swarmed by his teammates.
Crosby said he texted Ovechkin on Friday, when he scored two goals in a 5-3 win against the Blackhawks to tie Gretzky. He texted Ovechkin again Sunday.
“That’s a pretty special moment and to be playing at the same time, you think of how long hockey history, how long the game’s been around and be playing at a time when he gets a record like that is special,” he said. “I think we’re all fortunate to maybe not be in the game, but to be around while he’s doing it.”
The mutual admiration between Ovechkin and Crosby has built through the years. In the 72 regular-season games they’ve played against each other, Crosby has 93 points (32 goals, 61 assists); Ovechkin has 67 (37 goals, 30 assists).
The Capitals and Penguins have also played four postseason series against each other since Ovechkin and Crosby entered the League. Pittsburgh defeated Washington in the second round in 2009, 2016 and 2017 on its way to winning the Stanley Cup each time. Washington eliminated the Penguins in the second round in 2018 before winning its first championship.
“It’s pretty rare to go head-to-head like that, be in the same division, coming in with those kind of expectations, the playoff series and everything that goes along with it,” Crosby said. “So, it’s unique and I definitely appreciate it and that’s something that’s great about the game of hockey and there’s mutual respect there as well.”
Crosby and Ovechkin have been two of the League’s most prolific scorers since their debuts. Crosby, the No. 1 pick by the Penguins in the 2005 NHL Draft, has 1,682 points (622 goals, 1060 assists) in 1,348 games with Pittsburgh. He won the Art Ross Trophy as the League’s top regular-season scorer and the Hart Trophy voted as NHL MVP in 2006-07 and 2013-14. He also won the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy, awarded to the League’s top goal-scorer each season, in 2009-10 and 2016-17.
Crosby has 201 points (71 goals, 130 assists) in 180 playoff games, winning those three NHL championships and the Conn Smythe Trophy as MVP of the playoffs in 2016 and 2017.
Ovechkin, the No. 1 pick by the Capitals in the 2004 NHL Draft, has 1,619 points (895 goals, 724 assists) in 1,487 games for Washington. A nine-time winner of the “Rocket” Richard Trophy, he also won the Calder Trophy given to the League’s top rookie in 2005-06, the Art Ross Trophy in 2007-08 and the Hart Trophy in 2006-07 and 2013-14.
