The Pittsburgh Penguins returned to winning ways with a 5–3 victory over the Dallas Stars, powered by a hat trick from veteran star Sidney Crosby. In addition to his outstanding performance, the 37-year-old center reacted to Alex Ovechkin’s milestone, as the Capitals forward tied Wayne Gretzky’s all-time NHL goals record.
Ovechkin scored a brace in the Washington Capitals’ win to tie Wayne Gretzky’s record of 894 goals in the league, making history at 39 years old. The Russian forward’s remarkable achievement has drawn reactions from most of the NHL’s biggest figures. In this case, from Crosby, who also surpassed Gretzky in one milestone as he now holds the record for the most seasons in NHL history averaging at least one point per game.
Crosby and Ovechkin are considered historic rivals in the NHL, arguably the most prominent individual rivalry in modern hockey. Since both entered the league in the 2005–2006 season, they’ve been constantly compared. However, the Penguins star took a moment to share a few words about the Capitals forward.
Crosby’s reaction to Ovechkin’s milestone
“Like everyone else, we knew it was a matter of time. It’s special,” Crosby said reacting to Alex Ovechkin’s milestone. “As far as my age, I don’t think about it a whole lot. I just try to prepare for the next one,” he also said on the ice during the win over Dallas, as reported by Sportsnet.
Crosby shared his thoughts on the win over Dallas
In addition to briefly reacting to Ovechkin’s achievement, Crosby also shared his thoughts on the current state of the Pens. “Hat tricks are fun. They don’t come along often, so they’re definitely fun to get. It’s a long season. There are some nights where you feel better than others and different parts of the schedule, different matchups. Really tried to take it one at a time and I’m competing and trying to do my best every night,” Crosby said, according to NHL.com.
Crosby scored another hat trick
Although Crosby has scored a total of 622 goals in his career, his hat trick against Dallas marked his 14th in the NHL. In addition, the Penguins center recorded an assist, making it the 43rd game of his career with four points. The Pittsburgh captain is currently on a 12-game point streak.