They are considered to be among the most bitter of rivals.
Kind of like their teams, actually.
And when Penguins center Sidney Crosby and Washington left winger Alex Ovechkin cross paths in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs - something that figures to happen quite often - they will be exchanging snarls and slashes, not smiles.
Still Crosby, probably the NHL’s best player since late December, made it clear that he appreciates what Ovechkin has accomplished in his 11 years in North America.
Especially his goal-scoring ability. In 839 regular-season games, Ovechkin has scored 525, several on shots that were visible to the naked eye.
OK, maybe not that many.
“I definitely don’t have his shot,” Crosby said. “I don’t score the way he does, so I’m not going to pretend that I do.
“It’s pretty amazing, what he’s been able to do over the years. The way he scores and the rate he scores at.”
Mind you, Crosby has done at least one key thing - win a Stanley Cup - that Ovechkin hasn’t managed. The Capitals haven’t made it past Round 2 since he arrived in 2005.
They are, however, coming off a regular season unmatched in franchise history.
Washington won the Presidents’ Trophy for the best regular-season record in the league and has a deep and balanced lineup that can play any game opponents want.
And beat them at it.
The days when Washington was one-dimensional - capable of scoring goals almost at will, and giving them up just as quickly - ended when coach Barry Trotz was hired in 2014.
“They’re a very well-rounded team,” Penguins defenseman Ben Lovejoy said. “They have a lot of depth up front, a lot of skill that can make plays and beat you.
“Their defense is very good. They’ve brought some new pieces in that have really stabilized things, and (goaltender Braden) Holtby is having a Vezina (Trophy)-caliber year.”
The Capitals averaged 33 hits per game in their opening-round victory against Philadelphia and have numerous big-body forwards who can unleash a punishing forecheck.
That means the Penguins defensemen will want to react quickly when pucks are sent into their end and move them to the forwards, lest they risk being reduced to a stain on the end-zone boards.
“You try to get a step ahead and try to read the play fast,” defenseman Kris Letang said. “Obviously, you want to get it to your forwards as soon as possible.”
Imposing as the Capitals can be, they aren’t invincible. The Penguins proved that twice late in the regular season. They beat Washington, 6-2, March 20 at Consol Energy Center and 4-3 in overtime April 7 at Verizon Center.
If nothing else, those games provide templates for how the Penguins might want to approach this series.
“When we played them later in the season, we were clicking on all cylinders,” Lovejoy said. “We need to find a way to bring that game to beat them in a playoff series.”
Limiting Ovechkin’s offensive production the way they did in the regular season, when he didn’t get a point in five games, would be a good start, although it probably isn’t a realistic objective.
Ovechkin is too much of a force on too many parts of the rink to be completely neutralised - has been since he entered the league.
“He’s the same intense guy, passionate guy who loves to score goals and loves to make highlight plays,” Letang said. “He’s going to look for big hits.
“He’s going to try to bring those big plays. You have to respect him and make sure you pay attention to him.”
Not that anyone could possibly ignore him.