McDavid hilariously reveals that he wasn't on 'Team Ovechkin' as a kid
Connor McDavid absolutely chose a side in the Sidney Crosby vs. Alexander Ovechkin debate back in the day.
The end is near for Ovechkin, as the league’s all-time leading goalscorer announced on Monday that this would be his last season in the NHL. It will end an illustrious run for the Russian goalscorer, who spent 22 seasons playing for the Washington Capitals, where he managed to score over 900 goals and win the Stanley Cup in 2019.
Ovechkin will go down as the single greatest goalscorer in NHL history and among the best players to ever lace up the skates. That much can be agreed upon in most hockey circles these days, but there was a time a while ago when Ovechkin’s legacy was very much up in the air.
Back in the early-to-mid 2000s, and extending into the 2010s, the debates over Ovechkin and Crosby were among the most heated in the sport. Nowadays, it’s generally agreed that both players are generational in their own ways, but at one point, it was a fiercely tribal debate.
Fans took sides, joining either Crosby or Ovechkin’s team and standing beside their player no matter what. Even McDavid wasn’t immune to this as a kid, telling reporters after Tuesday’s practice which side he was on.
“I was a Sid fan, so I didn’t love [Ovechkin],” McDavid said. “Obviously, amazing for what he’s done in this game. Amazing career, longevity, points, winning, whatever you name, he’s done all of it.
“Really happy for him, and you want him to have a good last [season], to go out on a high note.”
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It shouldn’t surprise anybody that McDavid grew up as a big fan of Crosby. The same could be said for just about every other Canadian kid who grew up during Sid’s rise to NHL stardom, as he quickly became the face of the league and helped Canada win two Olympic gold medals in 2010 and 2014.
McDavid has never shied away from telling the media how much he adores Crosby. There is a photo of the two superstars together during McDavid’s time in the OHL, where he looks like any other excited fan next to Crosby.
A young McDavid poses for a photo with Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguins)
McDavid has even had the opportunity to play alongside Crosby in international events such as the 4 Nations Face Off and the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics.
Ovechkin will line up against McDavid and the Oilers two more times before he retires, once in Edmonton on Dec. 3 and one last time in Washington on Dec. 28. That will give Ovechkin ample time to question McDavid on his prior allegiances.