Alex Ovechkin reacts to Penguins’ congratulatory messages after 900th goal

Washington Capitals legend Alex Ovechkin made his feelings known regarding the congratulatory messages he received following his 900th career goal. Those messages came from long-time rivals Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby.

The Penguins’ players, who have been part of a two-decade-long rivalry with Alex Ovechkin, took the time to acknowledge Ovechkin’s remarkable feat.

Ovechkin’s goal during the Capitals’ 6-1 rout of the St. Louis Blues made him the only player in NHL history to register 900 tallies. The following night, the Capitals squared off against the Penguins. That marked the perfect occasion for Crosby and Malkin to visit with Ovechkin.

Following the game, Alex Ovechkin had this to say about meeting with his longtime friends and rivals before Thursday night's clash:

“We have a battle through all those years, and we have a very good relationship. And that, it shows the respect, and I respect Sid and Geno as players, and obviously as [people]. So yeah, it was a pretty cool moment.”

The comments, as captured by Yahoo! Sports, underscore the mutual respect between Ovechkin and his Penguins’ rivals. The Pens took Thursday night’s matchup 5-3 over the Capitals. But that fact didn’t drown out the ongoing relationship among on-ice rivals.

Alex Ovechkin has special moment with fellow countryman

Alex Ovechkin had a special moment with fellow Russian countryman Evgeni Malkin. Malkin met with Ovechkin before Thursday night’s Penguins-Capitals matchup to congratulate his countryman on his 900th goal.

The moment was captured with a photo in which the Russian stars swapped jerseys. Here’s a look at the moment:

Malkin posed with Alex Ovechkin’s #8 jersey, while the Washington Capitals captain held up the Penguins' #71 jersey. The picture displayed the number “900” to mark Ovechkin’s career goal total.

Despite being rivals on the ice, Ovechkin and Malkin have been good friends over the years. The two have kept in touch and celebrated each other’s achievements, including Stanley Cup championships.

On this occasion, it was Malkin who met Malkin at PPG Paints Arena. Both Russian stars will be UFAs after this season. While Malkin has stated this season would be his last, Ovechkin has yet to announce his plans.

Perhaps NHL fans may still get a couple of more seasons of Malkin and Ovechkin. Sidney Crosby is still under contract for one more year in Pittsburgh. So, there could be an incentive there for Malkin and Ovechkin to hit the ice for one more season.