The Pittsburgh Penguins have conquered the Washington Capitals in the Stanley Cup Playoffs during their three championship runs in the Sidney Crosby/Evgeni Malkin/Kris Letang era. The Caps vanquished the Pens in the second round en route to their 2018 Cup victory. Although one franchise has clearly gotten the better of the other in the last two decades, a fierce rivalry still exists between both fan bases.
But they are able to put animosity to the side when it comes to paying respect to a legend. The lively crowd in Pittsburgh's PPG Paints Arena gave Alex Ovechkin a standing ovation during Thursday's 5-3 win versus the Capitals, showing the utmost respect for his unprecedented 900 career goals, per The Washington Post's Bailey Johnson.
Alex Ovechkin gets a standing ovation from the Penguins crowd as he’s honored at the first TV timeout for reaching 900 career goals last night. The respect they have for him here is really cool to see pic.twitter.com/gPpIW7oPon
— Bailey Johnson (@BaileyAJohnson_) November 7, 2025
This gesture echoes the show of appreciation that Pens fans expressed to Ovechkin after he surpassed the immortal Wayne Gretzky for most goals scored in NHL history last season. Pittsburgh loves good hockey, and even though No. 8 has drawn its ire countless times over the years, the city cannot help but give the man his flowers.
The home crowd's graciousness was ultimately rewarded, as the Penguins (9-4-2) overcame a Capitals comeback and pulled out a win. Sidney Crosby, an icon in his own right, scored twice in the opening period to stunningly grab the league lead in goals at 38 years old. Two of the best to ever skate on the ice in the 21st Century just keep raising the bar for what an aging superstar can accomplish.
They will forever be compared, but as PPG Paints Arena proved on Thursday, there is room for overwhelming deference when the time calls for it.
