Sidney Crosby has thought deeply about potentially playing Alex Ovechkin for the final time this weekend, as the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals are scheduled for a back-to-back.
Ovechkin's on an expiring contract and recently announced that he's still deciding whether he'll return for a 22nd NHL season.
"It's been on my mind quite a bit," Crosby told The Athletic's Josh Yohe. "I've been thinking about him a lot because I know it's something that has got to be on his mind constantly right now. When you get to a certain age, it's the way it is. Every player is going to have to deal with it at some point."
Crosby added, "He's accomplished so much, and has had an amazing career. And I know that he still has an incredible passion for the game. That's obvious. It's definitely crossed my mind a lot lately, wondering what he's going to do, because you don't know what's going to happen."
Crosby and Ovechkin entered the NHL together during the 2005-06 season and quickly became the faces of the league. This weekend's games will be the 100th and 101st meetings between the future first-ballot Hall of Famers.
Crosby, who's under contract through 2027, can't picture playing in a league without his longtime counterpart.
"Oh man," Crosby said. "Yeah, it would be so weird if he's not around anymore. It would be weird, especially because we've (almost) always been in the same division. We see each other so often. We came into the league together. So, really, it's all we've ever known."
Ovechkin, meanwhile, said that competing against Crosby for the past two decades has helped fuel his career, which has included him becoming the NHL's all-time goals leader, a three-time MVP, and a Stanley Cup champion.
"It's history, what we have for 20 years, play against each other," Ovechkin said, per RMNB's Katie Adler. "I think the whole situation around Ovi and Sid was big time. It gave me more, not pressure, but it gave me more to think about and, you know, get ready for it."
The Penguins and Capitals square off Saturday at 3 p.m. ET in Pittsburgh, then they'll play another matinee Sunday in D.C.
