Two milestone moments in Pittsburgh during Alex Ovechkin’s rookie season involved him getting booed at Mellon Arena and absorbing a stick to the groin from former Penguins defenseman Ryan Whitney.
Tensions have eased some over the years, though not completely. Ovechkin remains a rival. His employer, too.
With time, however, I believe our attitude toward the Capitals’ longtime captain, now the NHL’s all-time leading goal scorer with his 895th career marker coming Sunday against the Islanders, has softened.
Healthy hate? Repugnant respect?
Seriously, there’s nothing wrong with appreciating Ovechkin’s greatness — and, amazingly, his rise coincides with a few fascinating moments in Penguins history.
I found myself on Monday morning researching Nov. 22, 2005, and Jan. 25, 2006, to refresh my memory on a few Ovechkin firsts: that initial battle with Sidney Crosby and also the first time Ovechkin scored against the Penguins.
Fascinating stuff that also included some tense moments for everyone throughout the first few chapters of what would become one of the best rivalries in hockey history.
“It’s hard to put into words, playing against each other for 20 years,” Crosby told reporters Sunday in Chicago. “[The goal-scoring record] was thought to be unattainable. He found a way to do it. It’s pretty incredible. Amazing moment for him, his family, his teammates and obviously the whole league.
“I definitely appreciate [the rivalry]. That’s something that’s great about hockey. There’s mutual respect there, as well.”
There might’ve been respect for Ovechkin in 2005 — there was definitely curiosity — but for a long time, he elicited frustration around these parts, whether it was because of his tinted visor, those yellow skate laces or the lengths to which he’d go to finish checks.
Prior to making his NHL debut, Ovechkin actually leveled Sergei Gonchar over in Russia, concussing him. We’ve seen Ovechkin do the same here, a style that didn’t always sit well with Penguins fans.
Ovechkin’s assertiveness was evident during his initial visit to Pittsburgh, which resulted in a 5-4 Penguins victory. On his first shift, Ovechkin and Mark Recchi jostled a bunch before the Penguins winger grew frustrated and poked Ovechkin in the visor. Recchi also cross checked Ovechkin hard enough the young player iced his right shoulder afterward.
Though he didn’t score a goal, Ovechkin delivered an electric moment midway through the second period, when he put the puck between his legs and snaked around Whitney before firing a shot at Sebastien Caron.
His arms went up, only to learn Caron made the save.
“I thought I scored,” Ovechkin said after, according to an ESPN column written by Scott Burnside.
“[Ovechkin] is a great player,” Whitney said, according to Dave Molinari's story in the next day's Post-Gazette. “He’s got a lot of skill and a lot of speed. I won’t be the only defenseman he does that to.”
When Ovechkin (who had an assist and played 11:13 in the final period) was introduced as the third star, he heard boos from however many remained from the sellout crowd of 16,978.
It was obviously the first of many such moments for Ovechkin, whether that was various run-ins with Penguins players or the countless big games they’ve played over the years.
But early-career dislike aside, the first Ovechkin-Crosby meeting was something everyone obviously knew would be special, a juicy league storyline for years or decades to come.
“Those two — and probably 15-20 others — are really going to carry the game for a long time,” Recchi said. “There are tremendous young players in this league.”
Ovechkin has always been inextricably linked to Crosby, but there’s a connection here involving Mario Lemieux the younger crowd might not realize, one that framed the first goal the Russian winger scored in Pittsburgh.
The day before, on Jan. 24, 2006, Lemieux had retired for a second time. The Penguins, meanwhile, were in the middle of a 10-game losing streak and had dropped 23 of 27. Their situation — bad but still buoyed by Crosby — was captured beautifully by Gene Collier in the Post-Gazette:
“The Penguins are for sale. The building is an albatross. The savior who wore 66 just boarded up the miracle business. And still Crosby is the brilliant light behind every obstacle.”
That night, as Ovechkin and Crosby staged Round 2 of their long-running rivalry — an 8-1 Penguins victory — Lemieux watched from a suite with Ben Roethlisberger. Jeff Reed, Dave Littlefield, Jim Tracy and Oliver Perez were among the Pittsburgh sports figures at the time who made ticket requests. Fans showered Mario with a lengthy standing ovation after a video tribute of his highlights was shown on the Jumbotron.
As far as the game, Ovechkin scored Washington’s only goal on the power play at 5:22 of the second period, gathering a loose puck and zipping a shot from a tough angle that sailed over Marc-Andre Fleury’s glove.
But later that period was when disaster struck, in the form of Whitney’s stick.
Ovechkin was near the net when Whitney stuck his stick between the forward’s skates and lifted it. He certainly made contact with something. According to The Washington Post’s coverage, Ovechkin’s screaming could be heard in the upper levels of Mellon Arena.
Ovechkin crumpled to the ice in pain and remained there for a minute or two into intermission, while Whitney was assessed a five-minute penalty for spearing and a game misconduct.
“I went to put my stick between his legs and lift his stick up, but I got him too high,” Whitney said, according to the Post-Gazette. “I didn’t mean to spear him. It was just an accident.
“I’m sure it didn’t feel good. I wouldn’t want to feel that myself.”
Ovechkin, who didn’t speak with reporters after the game, would score 42 goals and collect 75 points in 79 games against the Penguins over the years.
I doubt he’s done, either.
It has become a popular question to ponder, whether Ovechkin will retire or return to Russia now that he’s broken the goals record or if the Capitals won another Stanley Cup.
I don’t see it. Ovechkin remains an incredible, generational talent who clearly still has his fastball; instead of limping to the finish line, the 39-year-old notched his NHL-record 14th 40-goal season.
The Capitals return to Pittsburgh on April 17, Washington preparing for the playoffs and the Penguins concluding their season. Instead of boos, there should be applause and a tip of the cap out of respect for all Ovechkin has accomplished.
Jason Mackey: jmackey@post-gazette.com and @JMackeyPG on X.
First Published: April 8, 2025, 8:00 a.m.
Updated: April 9, 2025, 3:39 p.m.
