Sorry, Alex - Maybe You Can Be Number Two

I found this article from The Montreal Gazette that gave me a chuckle. It's an interview with Alex Ovechkin. In it, he states that the rivalry between him and Sidney was imagined and that HE wants to be the NHL's number 1 this season:

Ovechkin, the No. 1 overall draft pick of the Washington Capitals in 2004, also downplayed his on-ice rivalry with Sidney Crosby, the Pittsburgh Penguins superstar who was drafted first overall in 2005.

"It's the media's (fault)," he said. "They always compare us, but we are two different players."

Maybe they're frenemies.

Although Ovechkin, who turns 22 this month, is two years older than Crosby, both entered the league in 2005 and instantly became impact players.

Ovechkin edged Crosby in the Calder Trophy rookie-of-the-year voting in 2005 after notching 52 goals and 54 assists. Crosby posted 39-63-102 totals.

But Sid the Kid, the pride of Nova Scotia, was top dog last season, winning the NHL scoring crown and becoming the youngest winner of the Hart Trophy as the league's most valuable player since Wayne Gretzky in 1980.

"Crosby was best player in the league last year," said Ovechkin, whose English is improving. Ovechkin said he's looking forward to the start of Caps' training camp.

"I trained hard this summer. ... I want to be best player in league this year."

Hmmm. That's pretty ambitious for a guy who went from 52-54-106 to 46-46-92 the same year that Sid went from 39-63-102 to 36-84-120. (Maybe Ovie should learn how to pass the puck occasionally.)

While it is absolutely possible that Ovechkin could present Sidney with a bit of a challenge this year, at the end of the day, if Sid improves this year as much as he improved from 05-06 to 06-07, Alex doesn't stand a chance. Either way, it's going to be so much fun to watch! :)