Father Time rears its ugly head in Alex Ovechkin vs. Sidney Crosby rivalry

Alex Ovechkin's season-long retirement tour is officially underway, and four of the most anticipated games on the Washington Capitals schedule are going to be their games against Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Those two teams not only dominated the NHL for much of the late 2000s and all of the 2010s, but Crosby and Ovechkin were at the center of it all.

They were the biggest stars in the league, the best players in the league and the foundational pieces of two longtime rival teams. They both arrived in the NHL with enormous hype that almost seemed impossible to match, and both not only matched it, but they exceeded it. 

They defined the NHL for two decades, and now it is officially winding down.

The Capitals' 5-3 win on Wednesday night was the first of those four meetings, and an uninvited guest showed up to ruin the celebration of two of the game's biggest stars and all-time greats.

Father Time.

Father Time makes an appearance in the Sidney Crosby vs. Alex Ovechkin rivalry

For 20 years, every Penguins and Capitals game, whether it be in the regular season or the playoffs, and no matter who won it, ran through those two players. 

It didn't matter if they scored; they were still going to be the players driving the bus for their respective teams.

That was not the case on Wednesday night.

The 41-year-old Ovechkin played just 14 minutes, did not record a point on any of the Capitals' five goals and had just two shots on goal.

The 39-year-old Crosby did not record a point, was a minus-4,and was largely a non-factor. 

They were not the focal points, and they did not record a single point between them in a game where eight goals were scored. That would have been unheard of 15 years ago, 10 years ago or even just a couple of years ago. 

It is a harsh reminder that only Father Time is undefeated in sports. He comes for everybody eventually, no matter how great that player is, and he is unforgiving when he does. 

It's still early in an 84-game season, and both players are going to have their moments. Crosby is still an outstanding first-line center and is coming off a 74-point season. He is also typically a slow starter and is coming off a short training camp and preseason. He is also not showing any sign of being ready for retirement and still seems to have a few years ahead of him. 

Ovechkin can still score 30 goals by just showing up at the rink, and he probably will again. 

But Wednesday should at least be a reality check that while these two legends are going to have their meetings the rest of the season, it is probably not going to look like it did in their primes.

Ovechkin is no longer the best player on the Capitals. He might not even be one of the most important. 

Crosby still has a bigger role with the Penguins and is still the better player, but even he is not going to be able to consistently reach the same elite level consistently. 

Their games this season will still be must-see just for the history of it all. You just need to adjust your expectations accordingly.