21 Years, 21 Stats: Factoids From The Crosby-Ovechkin Rivalry

Yes, it’s quite difficult to believe that the rivalry between captain Sidney Crosby and captain Alex Ovechkin has been going strong for 21 years.

And what’s even harder to believe is that it may soon be coming to an end.

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When the  Pittsburgh Penguins’ and  Washington Capitals’ legends met for the first time in 2005, smart phones were not yet invented. Penguins’ rookie Ben Kindel was not even born yet. And “We Belong Together” by Mariah Carey, “Hollaback Girl” by Gwen Stefani, and “Since U Been Gone” by Kelly Clarkson were dominating the airwaves.

1,700 points and 900 goals later, the rivalry is still going strong, even if it’s different. In celebration of their 75th regular season matchup and 100th overall game against one another – and, potentially, their last – here are 21 stats and factoids for the 21 years of the Crosby-Ovechkin rivalry, with stats provided by Hockey Reference, Quant Hockey, and StatMuse:

1. On Nov. 22, 2005, Crosby and Ovechkin faced off for the very first time, and Crosby got the better of the night individually with a goal and two points, while Ovechkin registered an assist. Crosby’s team also got the win, as he teamed up with Zigmund Palffy on both goals en route to a 5-4 victory.

2. Feb. 3, 2007 – in both players’ sophomore seasons and in their sixth matchup against one another – was the first game in which Crosby and Ovechkin were both held pointless in a 2-0 Pittsburgh win.

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3. A year after Crosby won his first Hart Trophy as league MVP, Ovechkin won his first in 2007-08 with a standout 65-goal, 112-point campaign. It was the first and only time Ovechkin has hit the 60-goal mark in his career.

Top-Five Alex Ovechkin Goals Against Pittsburgh Sunday may have been Alex Ovechkin’s final game against the Pittsburgh Penguins, so here’s a look at his top-five goals against them.

4. In a seven-game series that featured matching hat tricks by Crosby and Ovechkin in Round…