All these years later, all the goals, all the assists, all the MVP’s, the Stanley Cups, and the Conn Smythes the hockey world still naturally gravitates towards both Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin. And rightfully so. They are the megastars of their generation. For a long time, they were at each other’s throats because both players were fighting for their legacies. Now, those legacies are firmly in place and both players are among the best to ever play. The animosity from the earlier years has dissipated into a mutual respect.

Sidney Crosby wants to see Alex Ovechkin shatter Wayne Gretzky’s goals record — with one caveat. #NHL https://t.co/7SrgUOSnLB

— Greg Wyshynski (@wyshynski) September 16, 2021

"I hope he does. I told him today that I hope he does," said Crosby, who was attending the NHL players media tour here with Ovechkin. "It would be awesome. He's in range."

How far we have come to see Sidney Crosby openly rooting for Ovechkin’s success. To be honest it is nice to see. Why not? They both have won as much as any player could hope to win in an NHL career.

Currently Ovechkin is 164 goals shy of Gretzky’s all-time record. He recently signed a five-year contract. He will have to average 33 goals per year to reach the mark. Crosby thinks Ovechkin can come close despite the natural aging curve.

Crosby, 34, believes the way Ovechkin scores his goals -- relying on his shot rather than on his agility -- gives him a chance to be productive late into his career.

"He can score anywhere from inside the blue line," he said.

Tough to disagree. Ovechkin has been overwhelmingly healthy his entire career. There is a literally a Capitals website referencing his ability to stay on the ice with Russian Machine Never Breaks. His shot is going to continue to be among the best in the sport until the day he retires. He may slow down, but I don’t think we are looking at a Brett Hull post lockout situation. I think it is a coin flip for Ovechkin to reach the record and that is insane to type out because this was thought to be untouchable. I hope he does it. Sid does too, just not against him

I just hope that all his goals that he gets are against the other teams, as he's trying to add towards it,"

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