Ovechkin vs. Crosby: Let's Do It Again

I could spend a lot of time writing about how Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals won in dramatic fashion in last night’s Game 7. You could either classify it as hockey drama dressed up in red, or theatre of the absurd 3-1 deficit the Caps had to overcome to reach the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

There’s room to talk about Donald Brashear’s suspension, and how much it will hurt against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

But really, this is all about Ovechkin and his yang, Sidney Crosby.

The Washington Capitals advancing to face the Penguins in the Eastern Conference semi-finals gives the NHL exactly what it was missing: a bona fide rivalry that all hockey fans can get behind.

Ovechkin vs. Crosby gives the league its own Manning vs. Brady, its Wade vs. LeBron. The two best players from one side of the playoff picture clashing to decide which team, in all likelihood, will appear in the Stanley Cup finals.

Along with their talents, their youth, and their history of run-ins, the all followers of hockey will be watching to see which player can stake a claim to “best in the the NHL” title, and which city will earn the right to distance themselves from logic and class in celebration of their team’s victory.

The NHL is getting to the point where they don’t need a big rivalry to sell its product, but this certainly won’t hurt its popularity going forward.

Washington is ready to call Crosby a crybaby, and Pittsburgh is ready to call Ovechkin overrated.

And everybody should get ready for a long and entertaining series.

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