The NHL’s Greatest Rivalry

by Michael P. Kelly

Alexander Ovechkin has had some volatile feuds with some of hockey’s biggest stars. A couple of Pittsburgh Penguins come to mind. However no one gets under Ovechkin’s skin and into his mind like the captain of the broad street bullies. Hockey fans are beginning to circle Capital vs. Flyer games on their calendars, and for good reason. They are two of the best teams in the Eastern Conference headlined by perhaps the best on ice rivalry in the National Hockey League, Ovechkin vs. Richards.

It began in 2005 at the World Junior Championship. The tournament was loaded with more talent that usual, due to the lockout taking place in the NHL. With Canada’s ticket to the final punched, Mike Richards and the rest of the team watched Russia, led by Alexander Ovechkin, dismantle the USA 7-2 in the other semi-final. Ovechkin celebrated a little too much for Richards liking and as the captain of Team Canada Richards made it a personal mission to put him in his place.

In the gold medal game, Richards and his Canadian teammates waged an all out assault on the high scoring Russian. Ovechkin would leave the game with a dislocated shoulder. Canada, led by Richards, would leave with gold medals. Ovechkin, out of uniform on the bench, was visibly upset. A rivalry was born.

September 2006. The Caps and Flyers faced off in a relatively meaningless pre-season game. Tempers flared and Ovechkin and Richards dropped the gloves. It was, and remains, the only fight of Ovechkin’s professional career. The fact that it happened in a pre-season game should tell you everything you need to know about how heated this rivalry is.

The feud hit a fever pitch during the 2008 playoffs. Philadelphia and Washington met in the first round in a 7 game classic. Richards was given the unenviable task of shadowing and shutting down Ovechkin. While the latter is nearly impossible to do, Richards again used his body in an attempt to frustrate the Great 8. The difference, this was not 2005. Ovechkin had gained 20 pounds of muscle since the world junior tournament, and wasn’t shy to throw his weight back.

Ovechkin scored more points in the series than Richards or anybody else for that matter. Despite getting the best of Richards, Ovechkin again lost the battle. Philly won game 7 in overtime. When the two shook hands at the end of the game, it was obvious that they while they wouldn’t be going out for beers any time soon, Ovechkin and Richards clearly respected one another.

Just one week into this 2008-09 season, the pair went shot for shot in arguably the most entertaining game of month. Ovechkin scored a pair of goals; Richards notched a hat-trick. Philly took the game 6-5, but what most will remember are the two young leaders jawing after whistles, battling for every inch of ice.

This past Tuesday (October 27) the pair locked horns for the 2^nd time this season. This time Ovie and the Caps won the battle 4-2. The score will be forgotten much sooner than the images of Ovechkin running Richards and vice versa. Alexander the Great dumped Richards along the boards at one point, while carrying the puck! Minutes later, Ovechkin was skating east west across the blue line and Richards has him lined up. At the last moment, Ovechkin saw him and got out of harms way. It’s as though the two are fighting a war against each other and the rest of the game is just a sideshow, an afterthought.

While Ovechkin and Richards have each won their share of battles in the last five years, the war may very well be settled where it all began, international competition. Less than 4 months from now Richards and Ovechkin will likely be representing their respective countries at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver. Most have Canada and Russia listed as favorites to compete for gold in men’s hockey. If that happens, you can bet that Richards will be on the ice shadowing Ovechkin hoping to get under his skin as he has in the past. If the bad blood that has been brewing over the last five years reaches a boiling point at the 2010 games, expect fireworks from the most explosive rivalry on ice.

Michael P. Kelly

[editor's note: Next Philly - Caps game is on Dec. 5th]

photos courtesy:

Neat1325

Mellisa Allen