Capitals general manager George McPhee rolled his eyes after the inevitable question about the rivalry between left wing Alex Ovechkin and Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby.
It’s a legitimate one, of course. For four years, the two stars have been the faces of a league still recovering from the 2004-05 lockout.
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“It’s not something we really think about,” McPhee told The Examiner’s Brian McNally. “It doesn’t matter who we play. We want to win hockey games.”
But while it’s only natural that Caps vs. Penguins games, including tonight’s contest in Pittsburgh, receive plenty of hype, the constant need — by the NHL, media and fans — to create a one-on-one rivalry has worn on each.
Ovechkin uncharacteristically bristles whenever the subject is broached. Crosby, who sticks to his media talking points as well as any athlete alive, provides little gristle that would fuel even a mild dislike. It’s not exactly Magic vs. Bird.
But, for the first time, there is potential here — between the teams at least. Ovechkin and fellow Russian Evgeni Malkin, the Penguin’s other star center, reportedly aren’t the best of friends and had a nice scrap during an early-season game at Pittsburgh last year. The Penguins are defending Eastern Conference champs. The Caps seem poised for a playoff breakthrough. Pit these teams together in the postseason and a rivalry the NHL has tried to force for four years will explode on its own.
