Penguins Pay Tribute to Gr8ness

You can hear the reverence in Sidney Crosby’s voice when he talks about the impact that Alex Ovechkin has had on the game since they entered the league in the 2005-06 season.

“Came in with such high expectations, and I think he matched them, if not more,” Crosby said. “I mean, how do you live up to those kind of expectations? But to be the greatest goal scorer of all time, and to do what he's done as consistent as he's been, is pretty impressive. Definitely honored that I've had the opportunity to play with him all these years.”

At 40 years old, Ovechkin said he is planning to wait until the offseason to decide whether this will be his final season in the NHL. But just in case this is it, the Penguins wanted to recognize that in their weekend home-and-home with the Capitals.

“If it’s his last game, I'm glad to play against him,” Evgeni Malkin said. “I'm glad to be his friend. Enjoyed every moment. He's the greatest goal scorer of all time. I play against him, I play with him. So much fun.”

On Friday, the sold-out crowd at PPG Paints Arena showed up once again for Ovechkin after giving him a standing ovation last season once he passed Wayne Gretzky to set the all-time goals record.

After a tribute video played during a TV timeout in the second period, the fans got to their feet and voiced their appreciation for one of the all-time greats.

"Yeah, it was nice. It was a show of respect,” Ovechkin said. “All that time that we spend on rivalries, like, you know, playoffs, other good [seasons], yeah. It shows respect."

And as Capitals head coach Spencer Carbury said, it wasn’t perfunctory.

“You're sitting there and you're clapping and you're like, yes – you could feel in that moment what Ovi has meant to the Pittsburgh Penguins fans and this city, and the appreciation for the rivalry,” Carbury said.

“Even though they hate the Washington Capitals, they appreciate what's going on over the last 21 seasons of going back and forth and being able to watch this live and tell your kids about it and grow up in this era where it's Ovi versus Crosby, Penguins versus Capitals, you can tell there's a genuine appreciation from the city.”

While Crosby, Malkin and Kris Letang joined in from afar, as they did not dress for that game, they were in the lineup for the second half of the series on Sunday in Washington.

After going for a meal with Ovechkin in Pittsburgh, Malkin went over to his friend’s house for a quick dinner right after the Penguins landed. He was recruited to play hockey in the hallway with Ovechkin’s young sons.

“Kids excited to play with us. We talked about playoffs, we talked about hockey a little bit,” Malkin said. “It’s just so much fun.”

After Ovechkin was drafted first overall in 2004, Malkin was taken second. A couple of years later, they were roommates at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy.

“And after, we're growing up fast. And now, 20 years after, he have kids, I have kid,” Malkin said. “We are a little bit older, but I think we are good friends. We support each other, we congratulate each other. If he needs anything from my family, from me, I'm always open. My pleasure to help him.”

When fans gather to watch warmups, usually they’re a few rows back from the glass. But this time, they were many rows deep to watch Ovechkin step onto the ice after his goaltender. And just a couple minutes in, Ovechkin joined his longtime opponents at center ice for a couple of photos. One with the Big Three, and one with just Crosby.

When the teams got ready for the opening faceoff, Ovechkin went to his usual spot on the wing – across from Malkin, as Penguins Head Coach Dan Muse is so good about shaping his starting lineups to commemorate moments, milestones or homecomings.

But referee Chris Rooney had other ideas. He told Dylan Strome he wanted Ovechkin to line up across from Crosby, and the Capitals center was immediately on board. Strome purposefully got kicked out of the dot to make it happen.

Later, the Capitals played a tribute video recognizing the years-long rivalry between Crosby and Ovechkin, who entered the league in the 2005-06 season.

“First of all, it’s like, Sid against Ovi. And after, Pens against Washington,” Malkin said. “We met each other in playoffs, like, four times. And who wins second round win Cup, it's amazing. It's great story. And I think everybody remember over the years.”

“Hopefully, people have been entertained. I think as competitors, as athletes, it's been pretty cool to be able to be part of some big games and that rivalry,” Crosby said. “That's something that obviously a lot of people have watched and cheered for, whether you cheered for or against, or whatever it was – it was something that has been special over that time period, and something I appreciate and hopefully everybody appreciates.”

After the game ended, the Penguins were ready to go out for a final handshake, but Ovechkin waved them off. Ovechkin said it was because he hasn’t made a final decision about his future yet, and thanked them for waiting, saying he would see them after.

And sure enough, Crosby and Malkin went over to exchange jerseys and take a photo.

With the Capitals sweeping the weekend, they were still in the fight as of Sunday – with an outside chance of playing the Penguins in Round 1, as Malkin noted.

“I mean, it's not over yet,” Malkin said. “And again, like, it's not easy. They always have a great team, they fight every game. It’s probably one of the best rivalries for all time, maybe.”