Top 10 Crosby vs. Ovechkin moments highlighted by dueling hat tricks, playoffs

Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin will face off for the 100th time in the NHL, including the Stanley Cup Playoffs, when the Pittsburgh Penguins host the Washington Capitals at PPG Paints Arena on Saturday (3 p.m. ET; ABC, TVAS). They'll play against each other again at Capital One Arena on Sunday (3 p.m. ET; HBO MAX, MNMT, truTV, TNT, SN360, TVAS).

Ovechkin is in the final season of his contract, and the 40-year-old left wing said this week he will decide in the offseason whether he will return to the NHL next season, so this weekend could be the last ride for a 21-season rivalry that is unmatched in League history. 

Ovechkin, the No. 1 pick in the 2004 NHL Draft, and Crosby, chosen No. 1 in the 2005 NHL Draft, have played against each other more than any other No. 1 picks. Gilbert Perreault (1970) and Guy Lafleur (1971) are second (71 times).

Crosby has the edge with 97 points (35 goals, 62 assists) and the Penguins are 43-27-4 in their 74 regular-season showdowns in comparison to Ovechkin's 70 points (38 goals, 32 assists), with the Capitals going 31-33-10. Ovechkin has 33 points (15 goals, 18 assists) and Crosby has 30 (13 goals, 17 assists) in the 25 playoff games between them, but Pittsburgh won three of the four series, which each went at least six games.

Here are 10 of their most memorable moments when they've shared the ice.

1. Dueling hat tricks (May 4, 2009)

Everyone wondered what kind of magic Ovechkin and Crosby would produce when they faced off in the NHL postseason for the first time in the 2009 Eastern Conference Semifinals. They delivered in unforgettable fashion when the Capitals won 4-3 in Game 2 at Verizon Center (now Capital One Arena) that remains their most-talked-about meeting.

Crosby opened the scoring with a power-play goal at 6:38 of the first period. Ovechkin tied it 1-1 on a one-timer from left circle at 2:18 of the second. Crosby scored again from in front to give the Penguins a 2-1 lead at 10:57, but David Steckel answered for the Capitals at 15:49.

Ovechkin gave the Capitals a 3-2 lead with another left circle one-timer for a power-play goal at 12:53 of the third and scored from the slot on the rush to make it 4-2 at 15:22 and complete his hat trick. Crosby batted in the puck from the right side of the net with 31 seconds remaining for his third goal of the game.

It was just the fifth time in NHL history that opposing players had hat tricks in the same playoff game and remains the most talked about game of the Ovechkin-Crosby rivalry. The Capitals won to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-7 series, but it was far from over.

2. The first time (Nov. 22, 2005)

Even before Crosby and Ovechkin each debuted in the NHL on Oct. 5, 2005, they were expected to not only lead the turnarounds of their respective rebuilding teams, but to also help resurrect fan interest in the League after the 2004-05 season was cancelled because of a lockout. So, there was much anticipation for their initial meeting at Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh. 

Crosby scored the third of four first-period goals to help Pittsburgh take a 4-0 lead. Washington cut it to 4-2 in the second before Crosby set up Zigmund Palffy with a spin-around backhand pass to increase the lead to 5-2 at 13:30. Ovechkin's pass off the left-wing wall set up Matt Pettinger for a goal that brought the Capitals within 5-3 at 4:46 of the third and Brian Willsie scored at 6:29 to make it a one-goal game, but the Penguins held on for a 5-4 victory.

3. 'O-VI!' chants rock Pittsburgh (April 17, 2025) 

In every trip to Pittsburgh, Ovechkin has been mercilessly booed. That was true at Civic Arena, the Penguins' former home, and it remains that way at PPG Paints Arena. 

But in one fleeting instance, two decades of hostility just seemed to melt away. 

It was the final game of the 2024-25 regular season for each team. Eleven days prior, Ovechkin scored his 895th goal to break Wayne Gretzky's NHL record. During the first media timeout, the Penguins honored Ovechkin with a tribute video.

And what began as polite applause continued to build -- and build -- and build. 

Until: "O-VI! O-VI! O-VI!"

At any other time in Ovechkin's career, that scene in Pittsburgh would have been unfathomable. It was the clearest sign of the respect he had garnered throughout the League. The moment was Ovechkin's, but the game went to Crosby, who had a goal and an assist in a 5-2 win.

4. Crosby sends Capitals packing in Game 7 (May 13, 2009) 

The 2009 conference semifinals was always going to reach Game 7. It was destined. 

And either Crosby or Ovechkin was going to steal the show in Washington. It had to be. 

Ovechkin had his chance early. An attempted centering pass from Crosby to Bill Guerin in the slot was batted away, sending Ovechkin on a breakaway. He tried the glove of goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, who snagged the shot and sat back in his crease at 3:01 of the first period. 

From there, Crosby took over. He had a pair of power-play goals, one at 12:36 of the first and another at 2:02 of the third, and an assist on a goal from Guerin 28 seconds into the second.  

Pittsburgh sealed the series with a 6-2 win, eventually earning its first championship with Crosby by defeating the Detroit Red Wings in seven games.

5. Ovechkin and the Capitals break through (May 7, 2018)

Ovechkin and the Capitals watched Crosby and the Penguins go on to win the Stanley Cup after they defeated them in the playoffs in 2009, 2016, 2017 before finally getting their postseason revenge in the 2018 Eastern Conference Second Round. Ovechkin played a huge role with seven points (three goals, four assists) in the series.

Ovechkin scored the winning goal with 1:07 remaining in Washington's 4-3 victory in Game 3, set up Jakub Vrana's winner with 4:38 remaining in a 6-3 victory in Game 5 and his backhand pass sprung Evgeny Kuznetsov for a breakaway goal 5:27 into overtime of a series-clinching 2-1 victory in Game 6.

Crosby had eight points (three goals, five assists) in the series, but it was his turn to watch when Ovechkin and the Capitals defeated the Vegas Golden Knights in five games to win the Stanley Cup for the first time.

6. Crosby and Team Canada top Ovechkin and Team Russia in 2010 Olympics (Feb. 24, 2010) 

When it comes to Crosby and Ovechkin, international competition is a clear separator in Crosby's favor. 

Crosby, now known as "Captain Canada," is partially defined by his success with his country. That includes a win against his chief rival and Russia at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. 

In a quarterfinal matchup, neither Crosby nor Ovechkin played a primary role in Canada's 7-3 win. Each was held without a point. Crosby had four shots on goal to Ovechkin's three, but it will always be the only time arguably the greatest individual rivalry in hockey history took the Olympic stage. 

And the win allowed Canada to advance. Without it, Crosby would not have scored by far his most famous goal -- the golden goal in overtime of the gold medal game against Team USA on Feb. 28, 2010.

7. Crosby loses to Capitals in career-altering Winter Classic (Jan. 1, 2011) 

Everything could have changed on one fateful night at Pittsburgh's Heinz Field (now Acrisure Stadium). 

In a game between the League's two brightest stars, and two of its burgeoning franchises, in one of the marquee annual events, Crosby and Ovechkin were tasked with putting on a show in the fourth edition of the NHL Winter Classic. 

The Capitals won 3-1. Though Ovechkin and Crosby each went without a point, the game remains unforgettable.  

Crosby, who was having a career season with 65 points (32 goals, 33 assists) in his first 39 games, took a high hit in a collision with David Steckel. He played the next game against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Jan. 5, 2011, but took another hit to the head from Victor Hedman. 

At age 23, Crosby missed the rest of the season with concussion-related symptoms that would linger into the following season. There was some concern over Crosby's long-term health. He's since defied all expectations in a career approaching 21 seasons that doesn't seem to be on the verge of ending.

8. Ovi Jr. steals the show (Feb. 3, 2023)

Crosby and Ovechkin demonstrated the respect and friendliness that has grown between them over their careers when they teamed with Ovechkin's 4-year-old son Sergei to win the Breakaway Challenge at the 2023 All-Star Skills at FLA Live Arena in Sunrise, Florida.  

Before Ovechkin and Crosby began their attempt, Sergei popped out from the bench wearing a black Capitals "Screaming Eagle" jersey with "Ovi Jr." on the back. After passing the puck back and forth between them, Ovechkin and Crosby gave Sergei the final shot and he scored five-hole on celebrity goalie Roberto Luongo to earn a perfect score of 40. Showing he has his dad's enthusiasm for scoring goals, Sergei ended with a one-legged, stick-in-the-air celebration.

9. Crosby sets the tone in 2017 postseason matchup (April 27, 2017) 

In 2016, Crosby was limited to just two assists in the Eastern Conference Second Round. Pittsburgh still dispatched Washington in six games. 

A year later, the teams again faced off in the second round, and Crosby immediately made his presence known. He scored the first two goals of the series 52 seconds apart. The first came 12 seconds into the second period of Game 1 with the next at 1:04. 

Ovechkin, to his credit, scored later in the period at 18:17. Evgeny Kuznetsov then tied it 2-2 at 8:05 of the third. Nick Bonino didn't allow Crosby's early efforts to be for naught and put Pittsburgh back ahead at 12:36 for a 3-2 win. 

The goals were Crosby's only two of the series. He missed Game 4 because of a concussion, which the Penguins won 3-2 to take a 3-1 series lead, and had five assists in the other five games. They were vital in a series the Penguins won in seven despite being outplayed for lengthy stretches.

10. The 'Snowvechkin' game (Feb. 7, 2010)

This Super Bowl Sunday matinee is remembered for a blizzard in the Northeast that hampered travel and Ovechkin's hat trick in a come-from-behind 5-4 overtime victory that extended the Capitals' winning streak to 14 games. The snow forced the Penguins to bus from Montreal after playing the Canadiens the day before, so they did not arrive in Washington until 2:15 a.m. for the noon ET start.

Despite their travel woes, the Penguins jumped out to a 4-1 lead with Crosby scoring twice. The Capitals stormed back with Ovechkin scoring his third goal of the game to tie the score 4-4 at 11:06 of third period before setting up Mike Knuble's winner 2:49 into OT.