Ovechkin Crosby, the NHL's best Young Guns

Every major sporting league needs to have marquee players to put in the spotlight. Every once and a while a league will get lucky and have a once in a generation player emerge that they can market. Now what do you think is an even better scenario? Having two such players emerge and they end up being cast as a villain and a hero. The National Hockey League has found itself in this fortunate position with the emergence of Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin. As a huge bonus the Ovechkin Crosby rivalry has taken a life off without too much manipulation by the league. And as an extra few sprinkles on top of the cherry covered sundae Ovechkin has recently found himself facing suspensions after some questionable plays, thus making the villain even darker. 

No player since Wayne Gretzky has grabbed the attention of hockey mad fans as has Sidney Crosby. From a very young age he was touted to be the game's next great star, and he hasn't disappointed. By captaining the Pittsburgh Penguins to an NHL championship at the young age of XX, Crosby is cementing his reputation as one of the best. In fact he holds one record already that Gretzky doesn't own (Gretzky owns almost every NHL scoring record that exists), Crosby is the youngest player ever to score 100 points. The best he may be but if you ask most fans who they would pay money to watch it would be Ovechkin. Even more electrifying than Crosby he has himself become a true marquee player and like the old time wrestling bad guys he has that added element of surprise. What might he do tonight? From his much talked about goal celebrations to the crushing hits on star opposition he really does get your attention.

As for the Ovechkin Crosby rivalry, the league is loving every minute of it. Attendance is up and revenues are holding steady - all during a horrible recession. There was a lot of talk about the rivalry going into the recent Olympic Games. A heated Ovechkin Crosby duel would have been fantastic but it was not to happen. For whatever reason the Russian team was not able to match the firepower of the Canadians and the contest was over before it began. Back to the NHL - Pittsburgh is presently pushing hard to be the hosts of hockey's annual Winter Classic, an outdoor game, and guess who the opposition is likely to be? I'd be quick to get tickets myself to that game! The NHL usually announces the Winter Classic participants right after the playoffs, so keep an eye out for the announcement. But what about the players. There was a moment during last year's All Star game in Montreal where Ovechkin did a bit of a comedy routine and being that his paraphernalia was all Canadian (Tilley Hat, Cdn flag), hockey writers were quick to wonder if it was another Crosby mocking. If you ask Ovechkin or Crosby about the rivalry they both try to blow it over. They have even done a spoof of themselves on a television commercial. The Washington Capitals, Ovechkin's team and the Penguins has a habit of bumping into each other during the playoffs, a time when tempers and energy levels go through the roof. I am keeping my fingers crossed that they will meet in this year's playoffs one more time. Crosby already has his championship and most think it's only a matter of time before Alexander 'The Great' gets his.