Caps and Pens rivalry reaching epic status
By: Turner Sports Desk
Jim Turner
March 22, 2010
When I say the word rivalry many great match ups come to mind. Redskins vs. Cowboys, Celtics vs. Lakers, Federer vs. Nadal and Tiger vs. The field. As the sport of hockey continues to grow the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins are starting to enter that rare-air that is epic rivalry status. In order to have an epic rivalry versus just a local/regional rivalry you must have the element of once in a generation players.
For the Pittsburgh Penguins they have Sidney Crosby who many believe is the second coming of Wayne Gretzky. Crosby is incredibly skilled and already incredibly accomplished. Crosby is the face of the NHL and he carries it well. The Washington Capitals feature the best hockey player on this planet in Alexander Ovechkin. What makes Ovechkin special besides his immense talent is his will to win and the pure joy that he plays with. These two players are both on really good hockey teams which makes this rivalry even more special.
If these teams stay on track the hockey world will be treated to many years of these great players battling it out for Eastern Conference and NHL supremacy. Last year Crosby's team turned out to be better than Ovechkin's team but the Caps appear to be much improved. The real winners are the fans. Not since Magic Johnson vs. Larry Bird have we been treated to such high levels of talent battling on a consistent basis.
Wednesday night's matchup promises to be good but everyone is waiting for the playoffs when the stakes are even higher. These teams seem destined to meet again which is fantastic for the sport.