NHL: Crosby, Ovechkin fine if league goes directly into playoffs post-COVID
Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin have been pitted against one another throughout their careers.
Memorable playoff matchups, battles for individual accolades, and the superstars’ contrasting styles on and off the ice have made them the NHL’s ying and yang since both entered the league in 2005.
On at least one issue in these uncertain times, however, they can agree.
Crosby and Ovechkin said Thursday on separate video conferences for Metropolitan Division teams that they would be in favour of the NHL going right to the playoffs if the league is able to resume the 2019-20 season in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“You try to get in as many games as you can,” said Crosby, who captains the Pittsburgh Penguins. “But I wouldn’t mind starting right at the playoffs.”
Ovechkin’s Washington Capitals sat first in the Metro with 90 points when the season was paused March 12 because of the novel coronavirus, while Crosby’s Penguins were third with 86.
“It’s hard,” Ovechkin said. “We don’t know when this coronavirus is gonna end. For us, it’s better if (the) playoffs start right now, right? We don’t want to play extra games.”
The earliest the NHL could resume would be mid-May because of a recommendation by the Centers for Disease Control in the United States against events or gatherings of 50 or more people.
It’s impossible to know when the league will actually get the all-clear to resume — things will have to look a lot different in society as a whole compared to now — but when it does, this season/playoff chatter is sure to be a hot-button issue.
“Some guys want (those) extra games,” added Ovechkin, Washington’s captain. “The more games we play, it’s going to be better for our fans and better for the teams fighting for the playoffs … but I’d rather start playoffs right away. Sorry guys.”
Columbus Blue Jackets captain Nick Foligno quickly interjected: “Don’t say sorry to me. We’re in a playoff spot.”
Every team in the NHL had played at least 68 games when the schedule was paused. Deputy commissioner Bill Daly said last week in an interview with The Canadian Press that constitutes “a meaningful season” in the league’s eyes. There are a total of 189 contests left on the docket, but every team is in a slightly different position.
“The more games you can play, the better when it comes to the integrity of everything,” Crosby said. “That’s a big part of it. I think you just get in as many games as you can, depending on when and what that looks like.”