The 2027-28 NHL season will be the first in nearly 25 years without Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin on the ice. It could also be the final campaign for his biggest rival, Sidney Crosby. The two remolded the league into what it is today and deserve to be immortalized as titans of the modern game.
Any player that retires from the NHL has to wait three years before becoming eligible for Hockey Hall of Fame consideration. Ovechkin and Crosby should be granted the waiver that allows the selection committee to vote on their induction immediately. That hasn't happened since 1999 when "The Great One," Wayne Gretzky, hung up his skates after a 20-year career redefining the game.
In fact, only 10 players in NHL history, including Gretzky, have been given the rare honor of immediate induction upon retirement. Most of them were from the "Original Six" era and the waiting period waived due to their exceptional play and impact on the game.
- Dit Clapper (1947)
- Maurice "Rocket" Richard (1961)
- Ted Lindsay (1966)
- Red Kelly (1969)
- Terry Sawchuk (1971)
- Jean Beliveau (1972)
- Gordie Howe (1972)
- Bobby Orr (1979)
- Mario Lemieux (1997)
- Wayne Gretzky (1999)
After Gretzky's induction, the league ruled no player would have the waiting period waived except under "certain humanitarian circumstances" -- translation: If that player possibly won't live to see his eventual induction. Ovechkin and Crosby, obviously, don't fit that qualification but these are Gretzky-esque talents that deserve the fanfare "The Great One" got upon his departure from the league.
The case for Alex Ovechkin & Sidney Crosby's immediate Hockey Hall of Fame inductions
Both Ovechkin and Crosby started playing NHL hockey in 2005. Ovechkin was drafted in 2004 but due to the lockout, he entirely missed what would've been his rookie year. Nonetheless, the pair took the league by storm and, by most analyses, saved hockey from the brink of irreversible fan apathy in the U.S.
Ovechkin is now the league's all-time leading goal scorer in the regular season (929 goals), passing Gretzky's record (894) two seasons ago, and is within 11 of "The Great One's" all-time combined regular season and playoff goals mark (1,016 goals). Considering Ovechkin scored 32 goals in 2025 at 40 years old, he's going to add that scoring title to the seven other major career records he shares or holds alone. His farewell season could also see him claim three additional league records (most 20-goal seasons, most even strength goals, and career hits) and finish his career among the all-time Top 10 highest point scorers.
Crosby is considered one of the, if not the best, all-around players of the modern era. He surpassed Gretzky for the NHL record for most point-per-game seasons (21) and passed Mario Lemieux for the Pittsburgh Penguins' all-time points leader and owns the franchise mark for most games played and career assists. Crosby was also the youngest captain to win a Stanley Cup (22 years old) and lifted the iconic trophy three times in his career.
Now, there is, of course, the question of Ovechkin's political standing that could impact any decision made by the league to induct him at the end of this season. He's come under re-intensified scrutiny and criticism for his support of Russian president Vladimir Putin and deference for his country's war against Ukraine, especially after appearing in a political ad boosting Putin's party in the upcoming elections. The league would have to ignore that fact and focus solely on Ovechkin's hockey contributions in determining whether to grant him immediate induction or wait the required three years for things to blow over.
All that being said, the two players deserve such honorifics because of their immeasurable impact on the game. Immediate induction shouldn't be seen as cheapening the honor but putting them on the same deserved pedestal that Gretzky and Lemieux both stand on. We won't be seeing the likes of Ovechkin and Crosby again in our lifetimes, that's for sure.
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