The careers of Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin have been intertwined since they entered the NHL in 2005.
The Penguins made Crosby the first choice in the NHL draft that year, about 13 months after Washington claimed Ovechkin first overall.
Both projected to be franchise-caliber talents, and neither disappointed.
Predictably, from their earliest shifts in the league, their accomplishments were measured against one another. A rivalry between the two developed, amplified by the one between their teams.
“Especially early on, it was heated,” Crosby said Tuesday. “It was made to be such a big thing.