Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin poses with Penguins captain Sidney Crosby and alternate captain Evgeni Malkin postgame as they gift him a Rolex. (Screencap/Monumental Sports Network) [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/995cb6d6-9d86-4d90-88a7-d57939a8e003.png] Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin poses with Penguins captain Sidney Crosby and alternate captain Evgeni Malkin postgame as they gift him a Rolex. (Screencap/Monumental Sports Network) It was an odd sight at PPG Paints Arena on Thursday, as, instead of the usual boos that fill the arena when Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals face the Pittsburgh Penguins, there was applause and praise for the Capitals captain, along with "Ovi chants." The Penguins played a video tribute for Ovechkin at the first media timeout, congratulating him on breaking Wayne Gretzky's all-time NHL goals record. Ovechkin took the ice and saluted the crowd, who gave him a standing ovation and paid their respects despite the bitter rivalry that has brewed between Washington and Pittsburgh over the years. The Penguins weren't done there, though. After defeating the Capitals 5-2 in the regular season finale, Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby and alternate captain Evgeni Malkin presented Ovechkin with a gift for his achievements: a Rolex to add to his collection. Ovechkin scored career goal No. 897 in the defeat, fittingly on a power-play goal from the office. His strike marked his 326th career goal on the man advantage, the most in league history. Of course, it wouldn't be a true rivalry game if Crosby didn't score too, as the two gave fans a taste of the good ol' days with dueling tallies on the night. Ovechkin, 39, finished the campaign with 44 goals and 29 assists for 73 points in 64 games, and he also passed Gretzky and added two more goals to the new all-time record despite missing 16 games due to a broken leg. Crosby himself had an impressive season, breaking Gretzky's record for the most points-per-game campaigns in league history as he finished the year with 33 goals and 58 assists for 91 points in 80 games. Both Ovechkin and Crosby, who have now met 73 times in the regular season over the course of their respective 20-year careers, spoke at length about how they've formed a tight friendship over the years [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/washington-capitals/players/crosby-talks-friendship-with-ovechkin-facing-him-capitals-for-final-time-this-season-weve-been-at-it-for-a-long-time]. "First couple years, we don't have a chance to talk. There was lots of battles, lots of scrums out there," Ovechkin said [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/washington-capitals/players/ovechkin-proud-of-what-he-crosby-have-done-for-nhl-reiterates-hes-not-retiring-yet]. "But All-Star games and then we have a chance to spend time together, go out, stay in the same locker room, it's more time. It's good friendship and most of all it's respect for each other." "Just having the opportunity to get to know him a little bit more, I think that’s helped and you develop a friendship through those experiences and things like that," Crosbty added. "It's been great, we’ve been at it for a long time, so it’s nice to have a relationship like that."
