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Wednesday Night Hockey: Memorable goals from Crosby, Ovechkin

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Penguins captain Sidney Crosby discusses the aftermath of Pittsburgh's playoff loss to Washington, as well as what the Capitals' Stanley Cup means for the two teams' rivalry.

NBCSN’s coverage of the 2018-19 NHL season continues with Wednesday night’s matchup between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals at 6:30 p.m. ET. You can watch the game online and on the NBC Sports app by clicking here.

We’re in Year 14 of the Crosby vs. Ovechkin debate. Now in their 30s, both are still at the top of their games and the last three Stanley Cups have been won by either the Penguins or Capitals.

Both Crosby and Ovechkin have delighted us with numerous moments since they entered the NHL in 2005-06. Highlight-reel goals, assists, moves and moments. As they renew their rivalry again Wednesday night, we decided to pick out our favorite goals from both over their future Hall of Fame careers.

Let us know your top moments from each in the comments.

SEAN

Both of these goals are very similar in nature. When a player of elite talent grabs the puck and picks up steam flying through the neutral zone, that situation won’t end well for the opposing team.

Ovechkin’s goal begins as he picks up a rebound in front of Braden Holtby. He loops around the Capitals net and starts driving up ice. It’s basically a 1-on-3 situation and Ovi knows from the moment he puts his head up that he’s doing this by himself. Rick Nash shows why he’s never won the Selke Trophy an Ryan McDonagh is just hoping he can get his stick or body on it, but to no avail.

Crosby takes the pass from Mark Recchi as he’s entering the neutral zone. He’s not bothered by Blair Betts’ backchecking or Jason Ward’s desperation stick check and then splits a hole between the Rangers defense before beating Henrik Lundqvist. The goal was point No. 37 for Crosby during a season where he would finish with 120, winning his first Art Ross Trophy.

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JAMES

During the nascent days of Hockey Twitter, there was a certain level of animosity toward all of the attention Crosby and Ovechkin received. “What about our guy, these two haven’t even done anything yet?”

Such resentment was always silly because the two stars delivered essentially since day one - both eclipsed 100 points as rookies - but their incredible displays in trading “dueling hat tricks” in Game 2 of their memorable, eventual seven-game series in 2008-09 really silenced a lot of critics. (Granted, it also fueled a new obnoxious narrative, as Ovechkin’s successes soon were dismissed in light of Crosby’s greater team triumphs, a plot that’s only now been softened.)

One remarkable thing is that the actual goals were pretty easy to forget, as the sheer force of the narrative - and the exhilaration of the series - really lingered. All three of Crosby’s goals were “workmanlike,” as he was essentially hacking away close to the net. Meanwhile, Ovechkin basically scored from “his office” for his first two goals, while his third was a great one-on-one move off of the rush.

Both players would go on to do bigger and better things from team standpoints in particular, yet this was their glorious answer to that Michael Jordan - Larry Bird “H-O-R-S-E” commercial. Like any classic moment, it holds up today.

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ADAM

I am going with this goal in 2009 against the Montreal Canadiens with the behind-the-back pass off the boards to himself at center ice, and then scoring while being hauled down on his way to the net. It is just a completely freakish play that I think gets a lost in the shadow of the goal he scored against the Coyotes in his rookie year. Which was also insane.

Crosby is tough because he doesn’t score as many highlight reel goals. He usually scores the rebound goal, or the deflection, or is just so much better than everyone else that he gets to the puck before anyone else does and just straight up beats the goalie. Think my personal favorite goal of his was probably in his return from the concussion because, one, he scored it like five minutes into the game, and two, it was one of his vintage backhand goals where he just skates by everyone and delivers an unstoppable backhand shot.

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SCOTT

Here you have Alex Ovechkin sapping the will out of his opponents. He splits Dan Girardi and Ryan McDonagh and scores off his knees with a filthy wrist shot. The goal itself is incredible, and then Girardi’s face on the replay said it all: “What am I even supposed to do about that?” Hacked, hauled down and still scored. Ovechkin at his finest.

A goal that ignited a nation. After Canada’s disappointment in Turin in 2006, Crosby restored a country with one quick flick of the wrist. It wasn’t his flashiest or even most impressive. But it was his most important. With everything on the line, Crosby did what Crosby does.

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JOEY

There’s so many different way you could go when choosing a favorite Ovechkin goal because he’s the best goal scorer of this generation, but how about this individual effort against the New Jersey Devils? Not only does he make defenseman Jon Merrill look silly, he also owns goalie Cory Schneider just seconds later. There’s not many players in the world that can pull that off.

Crosby grew up cheering for the Montreal Canadiens because his dad was drafted by the team in 1984. So naturally, he had to do something remarkable when he played against them for first time in his NHL career. We’ve all come to appreciate Crosby’s ability to use his backhander, and that’s exactly what he used to beat Jose Theodore in the shootout. Bonus: he totally obliterated the water bottle on top of Theodore’s net. Incredible.

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MORE: Your 2018-19 NHL on NBC TV schedule

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Sean Leahy is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @Sean_Leahy.