April 17th, 2025, 10:23pm
PITTSBURGH — Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin held the show at the regular season finale Thursday night, showing off their greatness at the Pittsburgh Penguins at 5-2 Washington Capitals.
Ovechkin finished a record-breaking season with his 897th career goal in his second term. Meanwhile, Crosby has finished his 20th season in the NHL, overtaking the 90-point barrier in goals and assists.
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“[Crosby and Ovechkin] “They’re two of the greatest players of all time,” Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan said. The fact that they play in the same division is incredible. Because the competition between Washington and Pittsburgh, and between OVI and SID, was a lot of fun to witness up close. ”
Pittsburgh paid tribute to Ovechkin in a video congratulating him on becoming the NHL goal king. Ovechkin skated on the centre ice to recognize the crowd. This temporarily nurtured the chant “Ovi” which is a sign of respect for one of the franchise’s biggest rivals.
The penguin’s tribute to Ovechkin didn’t end there. After the game, Crosby and Evgeny Malkin caught up with Ovechkin outside the Capitals locker room and presented them with a Rolex.
Gift of #gr8ness pic.twitter.com/dzvyhqwypi
– Pittsburgh Penguin (@penguins) April 18, 2025
The 73rd regular season meeting between the two biggest stars of the game was a rare star without stakes. The Capitals were top seeded in the Eastern Conference playoffs a few weeks ago. The Reconstructed Penguins missed the postseason.
The capital will begin exploring the second Stanley Cup in the franchise with the Montreal Canadiens on Monday.
“We’re going through the game, to be honest with you,” Washington coach Spencer Carberry said. “We’re moving forward and preparing for Montreal.”
Brian Last scored twice, finishing the season with a career-high 31 goals. His second goal came with an outstanding whip-around backhand feed from Crosby, who gave Pittsburgh a 3-1 lead. Alex Nedeljkovic stopped 18 shots for the penguin.
Ovechkin’s goal on Thursday night saw him move Wayne Gretzky away from him.
Ovechkin, 39, scored 22 goals in his final 31 games, with his 44 goals this season being the most scored by players over 39 in the season.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
