Even though the Capitals and Penguins are long-time rivals, Sidney Crosby is rooting for Alex Ovechkin.
Even though the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins are long-time rivals, Sidney Crosby is rooting for Alex Ovechkin.
Crosby spoke on the Capitals captain at the NHL Media Tour in Las Vegas, calling his chase of Wayne Gretzky's all-time goals record "incredible."
"It's really cool to be able to play in the same division, to have had the history that we have over the years... to come in at the same time with pretty high expectations and to see him this close to what was thought to be an untouchable record, it's incredible what he's doing," the Penguins captain said of Ovechkin, via NHL.com.
Ovechkin sits 42 goals away from passing Gretzky's record of 894 career goals. Meanwhile, Crosby is four points away from 1,600 in his career.
Looking at their upcoming milestones and accomplishments with their respective clubs since entering the league in 2005, Crosby also acknowledged how both he and Ovechkin have made each other better with healthy competition entering their 20th NHL season.
"I feel grateful to be part of that," Crosby said of their rivalry. "As a player, you want to compete at the highest level. To be in that conversation with him over the years, I hope that we've gotten the best out of each other and hopefully we've got some strong years left here."
