Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin have spent nearly two decades trading blows as division rivals, and now their run together is entering what is likely the final chapter. The matchup has been remarkably durable by modern superstar standards: 101 head-to-head games overall, including 76 in the regular season and 25 more in the playoffs across four Eastern Conference Second Round series in 2009, 2016, 2017 and 2018.
That longevity is part of what makes this debate so sticky. Crosby and Ovechkin arrived in the NHL in 2005-06 as the kind of rookies who were supposed to change the sport, and they absolutely did. Ovechkin and Crosby rank first and second, respectively, in goals scored among active players since 2005-06, and even with both players now entering their 22nd season, the standard remains absurdly high.
Heading into the 2026-27 season, Crosby is still carrying a career points-per-game mark of 1.24, while Ovechkin sits at 1.07. Crosby just completed his NHL-record 21st straight point-per-game season, and Ovechkin, even in what was the lowest points-per-game season of his career at .78, still played all 82 games for Washington.
Their career lows also tell very different stories. Crosby’s came back in 2015-16, when he posted 1.06 points per game. Ovechkin’s lowest mark arrived this past season, and his next-lowest points-per-game season was 2011-12 at .83.
The season-by-season production makes the contrast even clearer. Crosby has piled up 1,761 points in 1,420 games, while Ovechkin has 1,687 points in 1,573 games.
Crosby’s edge is in playmaking, where his 1,107 assists dwarf Ovechkin’s 758. Ovechkin, meanwhile, remains the more devastating finisher, sitting atop NHL history with 929 goals.
Even in their 21st seasons, both players stayed in rare company. Crosby put up 74 points in 68 games, including 29 goals and 45 assists, for a 1.088 points-per-game pace.
Ovechkin had 64 points in 82 games, with 32 goals and 32 assists, and his .78 points per game still stood out against the field. Compared with other all-time greats in their 21st seasons, Crosby’s number was the best among the players listed, and only Gordie Howe and Ron Francis came close to matching the standard.
The all-time leaderboard picture is just as crowded. Ovechkin is 10th in career points with 1,687 and needs 37 more to move past Mario Lemieux into ninth. Crosby is seventh with 1,761 points, needing 11 to pass Marcel Dionne for sixth and 38 to catch Ron Francis for fifth.
Crosby is signed through the end of the 2026-27 season, and Ovechkin has already signed a one-year deal to return for his 22nd season with the Capitals. Both are headed for the Hall of Fame, and both still have room to add to numbers that already look outrageous.
So who’s better? The numbers keep the argument alive, but they also make one thing plain: hockey fans have been watching two all-time greats push each other for 21 seasons, and they’ve been lucky to see it 101 times and counting.
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