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.
Calgarychokes
No, Matt Hughes is soft
Business_Region_2762
Better. It’s a far less physical and punishing game these days. Speed and skill kills instead of size and weight.
Meats_Hurricane
Was someone talking about 3 of the best players in the last 20 years?
Takes out Giant shoehorn:
#Matthews
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
nsfwITGUY19
As good as Crosby was, he’s not on the same planet as McDavid. And Matthews won’t have the staying power Ovechkin had
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
mattcojo2
No.
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.
Dank_Cthulhu
Yes but neither will win cups as long as they’re on their current team.
Aezetyr
If they can maintain their health and discipline then hell yeah.
West_Fuel_7990
Oh yeah, talent is talent.
Arfguy
McDavid is already better than Crosby. Matthews wishes he was even close to the player Ovechkin is.
So no. Crosby and Ovechkin was as close to Gretzky and Lemieux as the NHL has ever seen.
McDavid to Matthews is what 2006-2007 Crosby was to Malkin.
Common_Schedule798
“Analytics will say no” 😂
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
ProfessorBootyButt
Can someone please comment on how bad the photoshop is?
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.
DoNotResusit8
There is no Mathews and McDavid at this point. Neither has much playoff success.
A lot must happen if they are to become Crosby/Ovi rivalry like meeting in the cup final.
Pens and Caps played in the same division so it was easier for them but also the Caps had some awesome teams stymied by the Pens.
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!
the-last-voyageur
Weird to see these two without facial hair. Infants.
TiredReader87
We don’t know, but it’s very possible. Here’s hoping.
Born-Science-8125
Crosby is … well he’s Crosby
Born-Science-8125
Ryan Getzlaff gas entered the chat
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!
46 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.
No, Matt Hughes is soft
Better. It’s a far less physical and punishing game these days. Speed and skill kills instead of size and weight.
Was someone talking about 3 of the best players in the last 20 years?
Takes out Giant shoehorn:
#Matthews
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
As good as Crosby was, he’s not on the same planet as McDavid. And Matthews won’t have the staying power Ovechkin had
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
No.
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.
Yes but neither will win cups as long as they’re on their current team.
If they can maintain their health and discipline then hell yeah.
Oh yeah, talent is talent.
McDavid is already better than Crosby. Matthews wishes he was even close to the player Ovechkin is.
So no. Crosby and Ovechkin was as close to Gretzky and Lemieux as the NHL has ever seen.
McDavid to Matthews is what 2006-2007 Crosby was to Malkin.
“Analytics will say no” 😂
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
Can someone please comment on how bad the photoshop is?
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.
There is no Mathews and McDavid at this point. Neither has much playoff success.
A lot must happen if they are to become Crosby/Ovi rivalry like meeting in the cup final.
Pens and Caps played in the same division so it was easier for them but also the Caps had some awesome teams stymied by the Pens.
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!
Weird to see these two without facial hair. Infants.
We don’t know, but it’s very possible. Here’s hoping.
Crosby is … well he’s Crosby
Ryan Getzlaff gas entered the chat
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!
[Not a chance](https://ibb.co/PNCx2LG)
McDavid has hands of silk despite his speed and Matthews will never stop sniping. These guys are as good as gold.
Matthews’ wrist problems in the past concern me
Mcdavid won’t age well IMO. A lot of his game is heavily dependent on his speed. That’s one of the first things that starts to go with age.
Matthews is incredible but I don’t think he should be grouped with McDavid, Crosby and Ovi.
Yes
McDavid probably will, as playmakers tend to age better. Pure goal scorers don’t
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
Just like Ovi if their teams and linemates start going down the toilet they will start to look average.
Elite players need a good supporting cast to let them do what they can do.
Let’s hope Bedard gets the team he deserves so he can do his thing.
It will be less intense than Crosby/Ovi due to Matthews and McDavid being in different conferences
They are fun to watch so I hope so