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Crosby Vs. Ovechkin (Again); Go Ahead, Join The Debate

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Pittsburgh Penguins SIdney Crosby

Well, it made an appearance again this week — a debate over whether Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby or Washington Capitals winger Alex Ovechkin is the better of two overwhelmingly great players. Here’s the right answer: Thank goodness.



Please, as you recover from your turkey coma, join the debate in the Comments section at the end of this story. Please. It’s a great treat attached to a generation of hockey talent.

Now, neither Crosby (Canadian) nor Ovechkin (Russian) are American, but on this U.S. Thanksgiving let’s appreciate the debate, which has been ongoing since both were rookies in 2005-06 and Ovechkin beat out Crosby for the Calder Trophy, and give thanks that hockey fans have been able to watch and appreciate — and debate about, sometimes heatedly — their remarkable overlapping careers.

Me? I’m here for the discourse. My side of the debate is a little different. Crosby, 34, and Ovechkin, 36, both first overall picks in the NHL draft, are different types of superstars. Ovechkin is the hulking goal-scorer extraordinaire who could have a chance to catch Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goal total and is off to a bonkers start this season. Crosby is easily the top all-round, 200-foot player of the past 20 years and, really, of all time despite being slowed so far this season by wrist surgery and COVID-19.

So, it’s apples and oranges. With whipped cream and a cherry on top. And the debate is, as always, delightful.

The latest wave of the debate seemed to grow from this:

Not everyone has the stomach for the latest round of the Crosby-Ovechkin debate.

Oh, there are so many categories and statistics to bring to the debate. And some carry that out to the Nth degree.

Others take a more big-picture approach. Or bring some humor to the table.

The debate isn’t which of the two are the best of all time. They don’t seem to have reached that rarefied air at this point.

We are privileged to get to watch two of the top several players of all time, without question.

The Penguins and Capitals next meet Dec. 10 in Washington. We should cherish the head-to-head games between Crosby and Ovechkin, regardless of where you stand on the debate over which is the greater player.

Both players could be around several more years despite their ages. That’s worth being thankful for in any country, any language.

Do you remember this gem that dates to the 2007 All-Star Game in Dallas? (We said they were great at hockey, not acting.)

And now, go ahead, chime in with your thoughts on this renewed Crosby vs. Ovechkin debate in the Comments section.