Viral picture of Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin the last time neither made playoffs has NHL world talking

The 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs will be held without the participation of Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin. It will be the first time since 2006 that both legends will miss the playoffs.

Ovi's Washington Capitals were eliminated from playoff contention a week ago while the Pittsburgh Penguins were eliminated after the New York Islanders defeated the Montreal Canadiens 4-2 on Wednesday.

Recently, an old picture of Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin made the rounds on Reddit. The caption suggests that the image of both the players was taken the last time both players missed the playoffs.

The caption of the image read as:

"This is what Sid and Ovi looked like the last time neither of them made the playoffs"

Soon after the image went viral on the platform, fans flooded Reddit with their comments on the post. Here are some of the comments from the fans:

During their careers, both players have provided some of the greatest moments to the NHL world. Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin's era is winding down, and fans are already upset about their elimination from the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs.

What went wrong with Sidney Crosby's Pittsburgh Penguins this season?

On Wednesday, the New York Islanders ended their hopes of the Penguins making it to the playoffs this year after they defeated the Montreal Canadiens. This also marked the end of the Pittsburgh Penguins' longest playoff streak (16).

This is the first time since Sidney Crosby's rookie season that he'll miss the playoffs. Whereas, this is the first time that Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang will miss the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins

One of the main reasons for the Penguins' failure this season was due to the lack of secondary options in scoring goals. The top six forwards in the Penguins offense have contributed about 66 percent of goals this season. Apart from that, Kris Letand and Jeff Carter are the only two players to have touched the double digit mark.

The Penguins' Blue Line have also struggled to contribute to the team in goal scoring. Kris Letang is the only defenseman (39) to have come close to the 40-point mark this season. Trotting out Kris Letang and hoping he can do it all himself didn’t work for the Pens this season. If they want to compete for a cup again, they need a blue chip blue liner. Read the full article here.

About the author

Abhishek is an NHL writer at Sportskeeda with over 2 years of sports reporting experience and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Delhi. He became a fan of ice hockey after watching NHL fight videos on YouTube, which led to him professionally writing about the sport and his continued interest in all things hockey.

A fan of the Boston Bruins, Abhishek considers their incredible comeback win against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2013 playoffs as the most iconic moment in the NHL. His admiration for the six-time Stanley Cup winners also comes from the team’s storied history, distinctive black and gold uniform and their success in the sport. His all-time favorite NHL players are Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid, for their ability to perform at the highest level consistently.

Abhishek ensures his reporting is fair and balanced by being well-researched in his details, which he expects to be relevant, up-to-date and in line with ethical standards. His specialties are doing detailed match analysis and covering fan reactions.

Abhishek enjoys music, traveling and going on walks with his three German Shepherds in his free time, along with learning about horticulture.

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Edited by Windy Goodloe