GOTTA SEE IT: Crosby/Ovechkin rivalry at its finest

As if Washington Capitals fans didn’t have enough happening to make themselves feel bad today, today marks the 8 year anniversary of Alex Ovechkin’s greatest NHL playoff performance. Wait…that’s good news, right? Well it also happened to be, arguably, Sidney Crosby’s greatest NHL playoff performance.

In game 2 of the 2009 Eastern Conference Semifinals Ovechkin and Crosby EACH recorded a hat-trick in the Capitals 4-3 victory. The win would put them up 2-0 in the series, but the Penguins would storm back to win the series’ next three games before finally closing things out with a 6-2 drubbing of the Capitals in game 7. The Penguins, of course, would go on to win the Stanley Cup that season and the Capitals and Ovechkin have seemingly been chasing Crosby and the Penguins ever since.

Fans of both teams aren’t likely to forget that memorable performance, regardless of how their team’s have fared in the eight seasons since. But, if you need a reminder, step back in time to 2009 and relive the moment yourself: