Alexander Ovechkin raises eyebrows with major claim

There was a time when the "new" National Hockey League that emerged after the lockout that wiped out the entire 2004-05 season featured young phenom forwards Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin. Both players, who are in the twilight of their respective careers, will go down as two of the best to ever lace up the skates in the world's greatest league. 

And according to Ovechkin, both he and Crosby "saved" the NHL. 

"We saved the league," he said. "Now they come in, and I guess we're old news. But we saved it. It's up to those guys to come in and prove me wrong that we're not the best."

"We saved the NHL."

Both players helped as much as anyone could have to revitalize their respective franchises, as Crosby would eventually lead the Penguins to three Stanley Cup championships. Meanwhile, Ovechkin was finally able to break through in 2018 with the Capitals.

One major hockey figure is in complete agreement with Ovechkin's sentiment.

“We banked a lot on them,” said current Toronto Maple Leafs president Brendan Shanahan, who played a key role in helping end the lockout. "We’d lost a season. Our fans just wanted hockey back. But we had to make these new rules to open up the game, make it more attractive to our fans, casual fans, advertisers, everybody."

“That’s where Sid and Alex came in. It wasn’t explicitly said, ‘Hey, you guys go save the league.’ But, well, that was the hope. And it became obvious really fast they could.”

Recommended articles:

• Alex Ovechkin ties one of Wayne Gretzky's records.
• Alex Ovechkin literally picks up Leah Hextall and carries her over the bench
• Major development with Ovechkin has fans worried about his NHL future
• Artem Zub’s ear shattered by Alex Ovechkin’s shot
• Ovechkin welcomes Karlsson to the rivalry with a huge hit.