Alex Ovechkin is expected to open at left wing for Washington’s home opener Wednesday, putting the Capitals captain on the ice opposite Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins for the first time since announcing that 2026-27 will be his last NHL season.
The matchup at Capital One Arena, scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET, carries a different weight now. Ovechkin and Crosby have spent 22 seasons defining a division rivalry that gradually grew into mutual respect, and this will be their 101st meeting when regular-season and playoff games are counted together.
“Every game is special,” Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin said. “Every game with Sid and Ovi is a special night.”
Capitals coach Spencer Carbery said there is no question Ovechkin belongs in the starting group for his final home opener. Pittsburgh coach Dan Muse could answer by sending Crosby out for the opening draw.
Two No. 1 picks, one long-running matchup
Ovechkin, selected first overall by Washington in 2004, enters with the NHL’s all-time goals record at 929. The 41-year-old has 1,688 points in 1,575 games, placing him 10th in League history in scoring.
Crosby, Pittsburgh’s first-overall pick in 2005, is seventh all-time with 1,763 points in 1,423 games. His total includes 654 goals and 1,109 assists. At 39, he remains the center of a Penguins club that arrives at 2-1-0; Washington is 1-1-0.
Their careers began together when the NHL returned in 2005-06 following the season-long 2004-05 lockout. Neither player has worn another NHL uniform, a rare backdrop for two stars who have also spent their entire careers in the same division.
“There’s a lot of respect for each other, for what we’ve done for the League and hockey,” Ovechkin said. “It’s tremendous.”
Crosby said the frequency of the meetings made the rivalry different from most comparisons between elite players.
“We have been in the same division for so long, had playoff series and all that history,” Crosby said. “Players get compared, but they do not always play each other that often, or they are in separate conferences. We’ve seen plenty of each other, and the rivalry has stayed there through the years.”
| Category | Sidney Crosby | Alex Ovechkin |
|---|---|---|
| Regular-season head-to-head record | Penguins 43-28-4 | Capitals 32-33-10 |
| Regular-season points versus the other | 97 (35 goals, 62 assists) | 71 (38 goals, 33 assists) |
| Playoff points in head-to-head games | 30 (13 goals, 17 assists) | 33 (15 goals, 18 assists) |
| Playoff series won | 3 | 1 |
The teams have met in four postseason series, every one lasting at least six games. Pittsburgh won in 2009, 2016 and 2017; Washington broke through in 2018. Each series winner went on to lift the Stanley Cup.
There was little room for friendship during those spring battles. Crosby said the intensity of establishing themselves early in their careers, combined with the playoff history, made closeness difficult at first. Over time, that changed.
“We’re both competitive, especially coming in and trying to prove ourselves,” Crosby said. “But over the years, a friendship developed, and I have a ton of respect for him.”
After the horn
Last season’s Washington home finale against Pittsburgh carried a similar sense of uncertainty. The Capitals beat the Penguins 3-0 on April 12, with Ovechkin then nearing the end of his contract and not yet committed to another season.
When the final horn sounded, Crosby and Malkin remained on the ice with their teammates, intending to form a handshake line for Ovechkin. He declined the gesture, believing it was too soon to treat the game as a farewell.
Ovechkin had previously led Washington’s postgame line to acknowledge Marc-Andre Fleury in the Capitals’ final meeting with the Minnesota Wild in 2024-25. He also joined the recognition of Los Angeles Kings center Anze Kopitar before Kopitar retired at the close of last season.
“If it had been my final game, I would have felt bad,” Ovechkin said of turning Pittsburgh away. “I saw what Kopitar and Fleury did, and I didn’t want it to become, ‘This is my last year and my last game.’ We all respect each other. The rivalry through all those years was tremendous, and you never know when it is going to end.”
Malkin, a longtime friend of Ovechkin, believed at the time that Ovechkin would return. Crosby and Malkin understood why their former rival did not want a premature farewell.
Ovechkin signed a one-year deal July 2 and confirmed Monday that the coming season will be his NHL finale. Crosby said the clarity should allow Ovechkin to simply play.
“It was something he needed to consider,” Crosby said. “I did not know then. Now that it is his last year, I’m sure it is a relief for him to go out and play.”
Both clubs still have postseason ambitions. Pittsburgh has reached the playoffs in 17 of Crosby’s first 21 seasons, while Washington has qualified in 16 of Ovechkin’s 21 campaigns. A fifth playoff series remains possible, but it is not guaranteed.
The individual hardware tells the larger story: the two have combined for five Hart Trophies, five Art Ross Trophies, 11 Rocket Richard Trophies, six Ted Lindsay Awards and three Conn Smythe Trophies. Ovechkin owns three Harts and nine Rocket Richards; Crosby has two Hart wins and two Conn Smythes.
“It will be a sad day for hockey when those two are no longer around,” Capitals forward Tom Wilson said. “You cannot take greatness against greatness for granted. Hockey owes both of them a lot for what they have brought to the game. Nobody was changing the channel when they played as rookies, and people are still watching.”
Carbery said their timing, talent and repeated Washington-Pittsburgh collisions helped bring attention to the League.
“Two generational players arriving at almost the same time is rare in any sport,” Carbery said. “Then they became division opponents, with the Washington-Pittsburgh rivalry behind it. It drew fans and attention every time they met. They have played a major part in the NHL becoming what it is and continuing to grow.”
Remaining meetings
After Wednesday, the clubs are scheduled to play three more times in the regular season: Jan. 18 and March 13 in Pittsburgh, followed by Washington’s home finale April 4. Those dates now mark the remaining checkpoints in one of the NHL’s defining rivalries.
