HIGHLIGHTS
- Dylan Strome got himself tossed from the opening faceoff so Ovechkin could take the draw against Crosby
- This was the 100th career meeting between the two rivals
- Watch the video of the moment below
Dylan Strome knew what the moment called for.
Before the opening faceoff of Sunday’s Capitals-Penguins game at Capital One Arena, Strome deliberately got himself booted from the dot. The reason was obvious. He wanted Alex Ovechkin to take the draw against Sidney Crosby.
It worked. Ovechkin stepped in, looked at Crosby, and yelled “give me one” as he settled into the faceoff circle, per mic’d up footage from Monumental Sports Network.
Check out the video below:
This was the 100th career meeting between Ovechkin and Crosby, regular season and playoffs combined. Twenty years of the greatest rivalry in modern hockey. And it could be the last time they share the ice. Ovechkin still hasn’t said whether he’s coming back next season.
Crosby won the faceoff. That part didn’t really matter.
What mattered was Strome reading the room and making sure two generational players got to line up across from each other one more time. Pittsburgh’s coaching staff played along too. Dan Muse started Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang alongside Crosby, making sure all four future Hall of Famers were on the ice together.
Small gesture. Big moment.
