Ovechkin pretty much never got hurt and produced up until this season so it’s hard for anyone to replicate that. Crosby had his concussion issues right in his prime so it’s surprising how well he recuperated and is still playing at such a high level at 36.
Mcdavid is set apart from everyone due to his ability to do crazy things with the puck at speed, hard to imagine him being as fast as he is now, but he will still be effective because of that ability to do crazy things with the puck, speed or not, just probably won’t be as good as he is now.
Matthews has had a lot of injury troubles so it’s hard to say if he will be like Crosby and somehow get over that, or if it will start taking its toll on him at some point.
If healthy, I think they will both still be great players into their 30’s because they’re both special players, and players this good find ways to be effective even after they’ve slowed down a bit
StupidGenius11
If they’re still doing McDavid and Matthews things well into the 2030’s, it’d be a blessing to us all.
epzik8
I really hope so.
Business_Region_2762
Better. It’s a far less physical and punishing game these days. Speed and skill kills instead of size and weight.
dalcer
I think matthews game is more transferrable into older age than mcdavids is but they should both do at least fairly well into their 30s
Beerfoodbeer
Auston Matthews hairline did not answer when asked for comment
darrakki
Crosby 1236 GP – 577 G – 975 A – 1552 P
Ovi 1391 GP – 831 G – 685 A – 1516 P
Matthews 527 GP – 339 G – 261 A – 600 P
McDavid 612 GP – 323 G – 594 A – 917 P
McDavid is going to have to miss A LOT of time for Matthews to make up 317 points
Zharghar
Barring excessive injuries, probably. Both have pretty great hockey IQ, something that Sid, Ovi, and even Pavs have utilized to great effect as things start to age. The physical attributes will age over time, but the vision/skill likely won’t.
AnySail
Matthews injuries have been inconsistent freakish things more than anything nagging, and he really hasn’t missed as much time as his reputation. His game should age better than most because he doesn’t rely on speed.
McDavid is just a freak so who knows. You always wonder how a game based so much on speed will translate to older legs though.
Aezetyr
If they can maintain their health and discipline then hell yeah.
West_Fuel_7990
Oh yeah, talent is talent.
KINGBLUE2739046
No, the rivalry simply isn’t the same.
Put them in the same division, then we talkin
LastoftheSummerWine
You misspelled MacKinnon.
alejandrowoodman
Probably not.
Ovi and Crosby are exceptions to the norm for elite talent
Seagrave4187
Ovi is a freak. The guy does not take care of himself at all. He eats spaghetti and meatballs before every game and has coke in his water bottle on the bench. He throws hits like no other goal scorer ever has and somehow he’s managed to stay relatively healthy and injury free while becoming the second greatest goal scorer ever. I see these guys like Bedard who are coming into the league that not only have insane work ethic and talent but they’re also doing everything they can to keep their bodies in peak physical condition through nutrition and training. I think every generation is going to raise the bar a little bit higher. Hopefully we get to see the full capabilities of McDavid and Matthews having injury free careers.
Weeble317
Interesting reading through this thread, with a common theme of “if he stays healthy”. It just magnifies how amazing Ovie has been staying relatively injury free. Especially when you consider how physical he plays, probably has/will have more hits than those three combined!
Born-Science-8125
Crosby is … well he’s Crosby
MajorasShoe
I really, really hope so. But it’s doubtful. McDavid will slow down – and that’s a HUGE part of his game. He’ll be amazing until he’s forced to stop, but I don’t think he’s going to be 30 and as good as he was at 25. And he certainly won’t be at 35.
Matthews… he’s a big guy, with an amazing shot, very intelligent and good on all sides of the ice. I think he’ll probably age a little better, but he’s not Ovi or Crosby – he’ll keep scoring goals until he can’t skate though.
I hope they age extraordinarily well, but I just don’t think they will – not to THAT degree.
Busy-Operation5489
They already aren’t… 🤦🏽♂️ Lol
Fickle_Phase_73
What answers this question is how well McDavid adapts to slowing down. Hes got hands, vision, and can score but it all comes from him being 1.5x faster then everyone else at all times. I think Matthews will be able to be just like Ovi, as he slows down he just waits for passes and snipes.
immortality20
I just hope at least 1 of them get a cup and be heroes of Canada. I’m a suffering Leafs fan but I’ll happily cheer for any Canadian team in playoffs. Vancouver look like President cup trophy winners, Winnipeg is flexing and Edmonton are chasing down an historic win streak. And maybe Matthews gets 70!
Away-Sound-4010
McDavid has hands of silk despite his speed and Matthews will never stop sniping. These guys are as good as gold.
SryYouAreNotSpecial
Matthews is incredible but I don’t think he should be grouped with McDavid, Crosby and Ovi.
Irish1Car3Bomb1
0 cups. But they’ll look fine I’m sure.
SkarTisu
Probably better. Less vodka consumption.
iamtznu2
McDavid is Crosby And Ovenchkin is Matthew’s
Which one is still relevant
dumbthiccrick
It will be less intense than Crosby/Ovi due to Matthews and McDavid being in different conferences
dekrepit702
They better get cups or no
StevenCC82
They are fun to watch so I hope so
reportedbymom
I hope neither will become a puppet for a dictator.
fortzimmerman
They aren’t rivals at all. Crosby and Ovi played for gold against each other, played in the same division, met in the play offs, started same year..etc etc. I’m in alberta and no one here thinks they are rivals. They do their own things. matthews is a better pure shooter and mcdavid is the better player. Done. Stop trying to make this happen.
32 Comments
Ovechkin pretty much never got hurt and produced up until this season so it’s hard for anyone to replicate that. Crosby had his concussion issues right in his prime so it’s surprising how well he recuperated and is still playing at such a high level at 36.
Mcdavid is set apart from everyone due to his ability to do crazy things with the puck at speed, hard to imagine him being as fast as he is now, but he will still be effective because of that ability to do crazy things with the puck, speed or not, just probably won’t be as good as he is now.
Matthews has had a lot of injury troubles so it’s hard to say if he will be like Crosby and somehow get over that, or if it will start taking its toll on him at some point.
If healthy, I think they will both still be great players into their 30’s because they’re both special players, and players this good find ways to be effective even after they’ve slowed down a bit
If they’re still doing McDavid and Matthews things well into the 2030’s, it’d be a blessing to us all.
I really hope so.
Better. It’s a far less physical and punishing game these days. Speed and skill kills instead of size and weight.
I think matthews game is more transferrable into older age than mcdavids is but they should both do at least fairly well into their 30s
Auston Matthews hairline did not answer when asked for comment
Crosby 1236 GP – 577 G – 975 A – 1552 P
Ovi 1391 GP – 831 G – 685 A – 1516 P
Matthews 527 GP – 339 G – 261 A – 600 P
McDavid 612 GP – 323 G – 594 A – 917 P
McDavid is going to have to miss A LOT of time for Matthews to make up 317 points
Barring excessive injuries, probably. Both have pretty great hockey IQ, something that Sid, Ovi, and even Pavs have utilized to great effect as things start to age. The physical attributes will age over time, but the vision/skill likely won’t.
Matthews injuries have been inconsistent freakish things more than anything nagging, and he really hasn’t missed as much time as his reputation. His game should age better than most because he doesn’t rely on speed.
McDavid is just a freak so who knows. You always wonder how a game based so much on speed will translate to older legs though.
If they can maintain their health and discipline then hell yeah.
Oh yeah, talent is talent.
No, the rivalry simply isn’t the same.
Put them in the same division, then we talkin
You misspelled MacKinnon.
Probably not.
Ovi and Crosby are exceptions to the norm for elite talent
Ovi is a freak. The guy does not take care of himself at all. He eats spaghetti and meatballs before every game and has coke in his water bottle on the bench. He throws hits like no other goal scorer ever has and somehow he’s managed to stay relatively healthy and injury free while becoming the second greatest goal scorer ever. I see these guys like Bedard who are coming into the league that not only have insane work ethic and talent but they’re also doing everything they can to keep their bodies in peak physical condition through nutrition and training. I think every generation is going to raise the bar a little bit higher. Hopefully we get to see the full capabilities of McDavid and Matthews having injury free careers.
Interesting reading through this thread, with a common theme of “if he stays healthy”. It just magnifies how amazing Ovie has been staying relatively injury free. Especially when you consider how physical he plays, probably has/will have more hits than those three combined!
Crosby is … well he’s Crosby
I really, really hope so. But it’s doubtful. McDavid will slow down – and that’s a HUGE part of his game. He’ll be amazing until he’s forced to stop, but I don’t think he’s going to be 30 and as good as he was at 25. And he certainly won’t be at 35.
Matthews… he’s a big guy, with an amazing shot, very intelligent and good on all sides of the ice. I think he’ll probably age a little better, but he’s not Ovi or Crosby – he’ll keep scoring goals until he can’t skate though.
I hope they age extraordinarily well, but I just don’t think they will – not to THAT degree.
They already aren’t… 🤦🏽♂️ Lol
What answers this question is how well McDavid adapts to slowing down. Hes got hands, vision, and can score but it all comes from him being 1.5x faster then everyone else at all times. I think Matthews will be able to be just like Ovi, as he slows down he just waits for passes and snipes.
I just hope at least 1 of them get a cup and be heroes of Canada. I’m a suffering Leafs fan but I’ll happily cheer for any Canadian team in playoffs. Vancouver look like President cup trophy winners, Winnipeg is flexing and Edmonton are chasing down an historic win streak. And maybe Matthews gets 70!
McDavid has hands of silk despite his speed and Matthews will never stop sniping. These guys are as good as gold.
Matthews is incredible but I don’t think he should be grouped with McDavid, Crosby and Ovi.
0 cups. But they’ll look fine I’m sure.
Probably better. Less vodka consumption.
McDavid is Crosby
And Ovenchkin is Matthew’s
Which one is still relevant
It will be less intense than Crosby/Ovi due to Matthews and McDavid being in different conferences
They better get cups or no
They are fun to watch so I hope so
I hope neither will become a puppet for a dictator.
They aren’t rivals at all. Crosby and Ovi played for gold against each other, played in the same division, met in the play offs, started same year..etc etc. I’m in alberta and no one here thinks they are rivals. They do their own things. matthews is a better pure shooter and mcdavid is the better player. Done. Stop trying to make this happen.
No because of different conferences.