The end of an era could be coming this season in the NHL
By Jim Lynch
Alex Ovechkin was drafted first overall in 2004, and Sidney Crosby was drafted first overall in 2005. Since coming into the NHL, the two players have been the face of the league and have won a combined 4 Stanley Cups, but this year could see the end of a long playoff streak.
The NHL has only had one season where neither Crosby or Ovechkin have made the playoffs. That was 2005-06, both of their rookie seasons. Since then, one or both of them have been in the playoffs, sometimes battling each other in some of the best series the NHL has had.
Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals have missed the playoffs three times with Ovechkin. Once in 2005-06 as mentioned, as well as the following year in 2006-07, and again in 2013-14. On the other hand, the Pittsburgh Penguins only missed that first year with Crosby – unless you want to count the 2020 play-in that Crosby and the Penguins lost.
A year without either Crosby or Ovechkin in the playoffs has not been something we have seen since 2006, and it could happen again if the two teams do not turn things around.
The end of an era could be coming this season in the NHL.
If the playoffs started today, neither Washington or Pittsburgh would be in the postseason. The Penguins have a record of 6-7-3, currently on a two-game losing streak as of this writing and the Capitals are 6-9-2, also on a two-game losing streak.
The league is changing. The New Jersey Devils are one of the hottest teams in hockey, and other young teams like Detroit and Carolina are ready to take their next step in being a playoff threat. With new teams making the playoffs, someone else will have to miss, which could see the end of the Crosby and Ovechkin era in the NHL.
Both Crosby and Ovechkin are leading their respective teams, trying to keep them competitive. Crosby leads the Penguins with 16 points, including seven goals, and Ovechkin leads his team with eight goals and 14 points.
With both of them doing so well and their teams still struggling in the standings, could this finally be the year where neither Ovechkin nor Crosby gets to compete for a Stanley Cup? I mean, neither team has won a playoff round since 2018, the Penguins made it to the second round, where they lost to the Capitals, who would win the Cup that season.