Summarize and humanize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs in EnglishSidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin, both of whom have made some history this season, meet in the regular-season finale Thursday at PPG Paints Arena.Neither man looks to be slowing down anytime soon, but we know this great rivalry will eventually end.It’s been like Magic Johnson vs. Larry Bird, only a decade longer.Here are the top 10 moments in the Sid vs. Ovi rivalry.10. Passing of the torch On Nov. 22, 2005, a convergence of eras took place. Crosby and Ovechkin met for the first time, with Crosby’s Penguins getting the 5-4 victory. Ovechkin was held to an assist, while Crosby recorded a highlight-reel goal and an assist in the victory.Of note, this was Mario Lemieux’s only game against Ovechkin. Lemieux, who was held without a point, had just turned 40 and retired five games later because of a heart condition.9. Olympic showdown Canada and Russia have met only once in the Olympics during the Crosby/Ovechkin era, and it took place in 2010 in Vancouver.It wasn’t much of a game, though.The Russian team looked dysfunctional throughout the tournament. Canada had no such problems in the tournament that concluded with Crosby’s legendary golden goal.Canada defeated Russia 7-3 in a dominant performance.8. Snowmageddon A massive snowstorm hit the East Coast on Super Bowl weekend in 2010. The Penguins played in Montreal on Saturday afternoon and were scheduled to play less than 24 hours later in Washington. However, because of the snow, the Penguins’ plane was diverted to Newark, N.J. The team then had to take a bus in the middle of the night — in a historical blizzard — just to arrive in Washington for the game that the NHL wouldn’t cancel because it was on national television.It was a classic game. Crosby and Jordan Staal each scored twice, giving the Penguins a 4-1 lead. But they ran out of gas. Ovechkin’s hat trick propelled the game to overtime, and he set up Mike Knuble’s overtime winner.7. Like it or lump itCrosby and Ovechkin nearly came to blows on Feb. 22, 2009. This led to Ovechkin taunting Crosby from the bench, making a chicken reference among other less-than-pleasant references.This was at the height of the time when Crosby and Ovechkin had a healthy dislike for each other. Crosby didn’t deny it, and after the game, he gave his famous quote about Ovechkin’s on-ice behavior: “Like it or lump it, that’s what he does. Some people like it. Some people don’t. Personally, I don’t like it.”6. A notorious Winter Classic Crosby and Ovechkin were on top of the hockey world in 2010, with the high-flying Penguins and the equally impressive Capitals being featured on HBO in the month leading up to the Winter Classic at Heinz Field.Rain forced the game to be played in the evening, which was (literally) a light-bulb moment for the league, which realized how magnificent the setting looked under the lights.It also lost its brightest star.Crosby absorbed a shot from David Steckel, who clipped him in the head, resulting in a concussion that contributed to Crosby missing more than 100 games over the next two seasons.5. The mastery continues The Capitals had all of the momentum entering Game 7 of the classic 2017 series, having won convincingly in Games 5 and 6. They had Game 7 at home.Of course, if you know your Penguins-Capitals history, you know that the last thing the Capitals want is to face the Penguins in a Game 7. The Penguins are 4-0 all-time in Game 7 against the Capitals, with three of those wins coming on Washington soil. This was the third one.Crosby assisted on Bryan Rust’s goal to open the scoring, and Ovechkin was robbed by one of the greatest saves of Marc-Andre Fleury’s career later in the second period.It may have been Ovechkin’s most painful setback.4. The finishing touch Of course, this may have been Ovechkin’s roughest loss.He was robbed on a breakaway early in Game 7 of this iconic 2009 series. Crosby later opened the scoring.Then came one of the more important moments of Crosby’s career. With the Penguins ahead 5-2, Ovechkin coughed up the puck, which gave Crosby a breakaway from 100 feet.Crosby seemingly skated in slow motion, holding the crowd in the palm of his hand. He wasn’t about to miss.3. Ovi Jr. takes center stage I hate NHL All-Star weekend, and I hope it goes away forever.That said, this was so cool.Crosby and Ovechkin had a pretty chilly relationship up to this point. They typically said the right things publicly, but for most of their respective careers, they didn’t particularly like each other. It must be hard when you’re always compared, especially when you’re so different.In 2023, Crosby and Ovechkin took the ice with Ovechkin’s son, Sergei, in a very memorable moment that triggered a warmer relationship between the two icons.2. Ovi finally gets himUntil a week and a half ago, this was easily the most important moment of Ovechkin’s career — and still might be. The Capitals went on to win their only Stanley Cup, but first, they had to go through Pittsburgh, just as the Penguins went through the Capitals in all five of their Stanley Cup triumphs.Ovechkin took advantage of a Crosby turnover and found Capitals teammate Evgeny Kuznetsov, who beat Penguins goalie Matt Murray to end the series in overtime of Game 6. The theater was extraordinary. Ovechkin jumped up and down like he was a child, Kuznetsov uncorked his patented celebration, Kris Letang went crashing into the boards in an attempt to catch Kuznetsov, Murray fell to the ice in disbelief that Kuznetsov had the guts to pull off that move in that situation, and Crosby stoically stared into space.The Capitals finally slayed the beast.If there’s a series loss that still irritates Crosby, it’s gotta be this one.1. Dueling hat tricksI couldn’t go with anything else. In 2009, the NHL was all about Crosby and Ovechkin, and they seemingly never disappointed.On this night, in Game 2 of the series, each player produced a hat trick, but Ovechkin won the battle as the Capitals took a 2-0 series lead.Crosby and the Penguins, however, won the war.(Photo: Jamie Squire / Getty Images)
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