Updated throughout the day with quick takes from staff.
As my friend John Press wrote over at Japers' Rink earlier today, on one level, yesterday's game between the Washington Capitals and the Pittsburgh Penguins was just another two points in the standings. For Pittsburgh, it was a lost opportunity to pick up points in a season where those opportunities are beginning to run out. For the Washington Capitals, it was an opportunity to efficiently put away an opponent that you know you can beat.
The result: a tidy, but hardly mistake-free 5-2 victory for Washington as they climbed back into second place in the Eastern Conference, seven points behind East-leading Boston. The win was Washington's third in three tries against the Penguins this season, and marks the first time since the 2002-03 that Washington has come out on top of the season series with the Penguins.
But on another level, what we saw yesterday was the re-ignition of what a lot of folks have called a media-driven rivalry between Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby and Washington's Alex Ovechkin. In the past, both parties have sought to downplay any real or imagined rivalry between the two. But then this happened during the second period:
After the game, both parties decided to pour some more gasoline onto to the fire, with Crosby saying he didn't like Ovechkin's goal scoring celebrations, while Ovechkin said that while Crosby might be a good player that he "talks too much."
Funny, but we never heard much from Crosby on Ovechkin's celebrations when he and the Penguins dominated the series between the two teams over their first three seasons together in the league.
Safe to say, the turnabout has been a welcome one in Washington. As somebody who has been watching the Caps for close to 24 years, it's a welcome relief to see them turn the tables after being the Pittsburgh's plaything ever since they first met in the Stanley Cup Playoffs back in 1991. From there on in, with one exception, postseason meetings with the Pens presaged nothing but heartbreak, and the faithful in Washington aren't so willing to forgive and forget.
For those of you who don't want to miss the next chapter, be sure to mark down March 8 in your calendar for when the Penguins make their next and final visit to Washington during the regular season. As for the playoffs ... we should only be so lucky.
This post originally appeared on the Sporting Blog. For more, see The Sporting Blog Archives.
15 comments
Certain photos copyright © 2012 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
Scoreboard data copyright © 2012 by STATS LLC. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC is strictly prohibited.
OpenCalais - Powered by Thomson Reuters
•
Odds Shark 
Comments
Look, I like the penguins. I live in PA so I get all of their games and watch a lot of them. At least once or twice a week. But there is no way you can tell me that Sidney Crosby is a better player in Alexander Ovechkin. You just can’t. I like Sid, but I think the limelight was thrust upon him too early and he needs to learn to keep his mouth shut and just make plays. No one thinks he is a bad player, I believe he is second in points, but the guy needs to focus on winning not what the refs are doing.
by clr5000 on Feb 23, 2009 5:51 PM EST reply actions
Poor Chrissy is not "the" star and he doesn’t like it.
Well there is one way to change that, be a leader
and get your team on track. Do not worry about Ovechkin.
He wasn’t better than Zetterberg or Datsyuk either, must
be a Euro thing.
Go Wings!!
by socalwingnut on Feb 23, 2009 6:01 PM EST reply actions
crosby does more than ovechkin. he is better. but that dainty little tiff is hardly the media story they are making of it.
by scurds on Feb 23, 2009 6:10 PM EST reply actions
Cry Crosby Cry, looks good on you
by Dirt Racer 33 on Feb 23, 2009 6:16 PM EST reply actions
Was Ivan’s second gesture supposed to be a gorilla or something?
by L'etat, c'est moi on Feb 23, 2009 6:20 PM EST reply actions
it looks to me like crosby roughed up ovechkin, not the other way around!
by lovegun on Feb 23, 2009 6:26 PM EST reply actions
A rivaly? No, this is a made up story. These 2 fancy skate don’t want to take a hit superstars are too weak to have a rivalry.
by buntdown on Feb 23, 2009 6:31 PM EST reply actions
Who the hell is Chrissy?
by npcPronk29 on Feb 23, 2009 7:20 PM EST reply actions
Buntdown,
How can you say neither wants to take a hit……I believe Ovechkin is leading the league in hits. I also was at the Boston Bruins game in DC during the inauguration and saw him dish out and take plenty!!!
by shvd98z24 on Feb 23, 2009 7:51 PM EST reply actions
this happens all the time….but when the two golden boys are involved it only helps the game
by rude d on Feb 24, 2009 6:00 AM EST reply actions
Ovechkin is the better player, will and always, Cindy wants to cry and complain. Complainers…another word…SISSYS are not suppose to play in the NHL. Crosby was brought up to complain and b^tch, mama probally taught him that. He is sad, because OV and the Caps got the best of him. i SUPPORT TALENT, NOT COMPLAINERS! by the way, crosby has been hurt How many times since he started in the leauge??? He complains about that too, when Ov gets hurt, he goes out and scores more goals. EX: OV got his tooth knocked out and his nose broke and went back out and scored 3 or 4 goals. NOT A COMPLAINER!
by Ovechkin's Wife on Feb 24, 2009 10:41 AM EST reply actions
Am I the only person who thinks that Evgeni Malkin is better then Sidney Crosby. Don’t get me wrong, Crosby is talented but I find Malkin to be the better player. And being from Canada, I usually root for the Canadian, but you have to give credit where credit is due. And for the record Ovechkin is better than Crosby as well. I just felt the need to mention Malkin because I’m sick of all the fuss made over Crosby being the greatest player for the Penguins when he is obviously the second best. Third is you want to start bringing goalies into the conversation.
by Clarky on Feb 24, 2009 11:10 AM EST reply actions
OV stands for overrated. Ovechkin shoots the puck the majority of the time he has it, which is why he leads the league in shots every year. I don’t know what is shooting percentage is, but I’m pretty sure it’s not the best in the league. Don’t get me wrong, Ovechkin is electric, but Crosby is the all around better player. I saw Ovechkin earlier this year hang out at center ice with his team shorthanded and the other goalie pulled just so he could pad his stats and get an empty net goal. Crosby plays hard in all areas of the ice and is the first one back playing defense when needed. Crosby is the best player in the league, and probably in the world, despite what all the Caps fans think, or think they know. The playoffs will show that, as it is easier to shut down a goal scorer than a playmaker, as Philly showed last year in the playoffs when they shut down Ovechkin, but couldn’t shut down Crosby and company because Crosby uses all the players around him and makes them better, and doesn’t shoot the puck every time he has it. Sorry Cap fans, Ovechkin and Malkin are fighting for 2nd best player in the league, becasue Crosby is clearly in a class by himself.
by Zman8771 on Feb 24, 2009 12:02 PM EST reply actions
people people people…
Ovechkin is the best player in the NHL today….
hey is the best player i have ever seen.
Crosby is a great player too….
Ovechkin’s skill level is just much much better then crosby
and suprise….waaaahhhhhh his celebrations were too crazy….waahhhhh
-this from a flyers fan
by EGGCRACKED on Feb 25, 2009 9:19 AM EST reply actions
Crosby is a great player. Ovechkin could be a historic one.
by ChiAdam on Feb 25, 2009 2:17 PM EST reply actions
Comments For This Post Are Closed