Sidney Crosby vs. Alexander Ovechkin: whose rookie card should be worth more?

The great debate in hockey ever since Sidney Crosby got drafted in 2005 first overall following Alexander Oveckin’s first overall selection in 2004 has been who will emerge as the better player on the ice?

“Better” of course is subjective, but just for fun, let’s compare their stats (as of today Jan. 27, 2017):

Sidney Crosby: 366 goals | 627 assists | 993 points in 749 games played
Alexander Ovechkin: 548 goals | 463 assists | 1,011 points in 888 games played

I’m not including shots on goal, plus-minus or penalty minutes in my crude analysis, but I understand that plays a factor in determining the best overall player.

Nonetheless, I think a lot can be said by just looking at the points production over the course of their already lengthy career.?

Let’s first look at points per game: “OV” has 1.14 points per game versus Sid’s 1.32 points per game. Crosby has the edge there.

Next, this may be a minor point but Ovechkin has the nod in games played. Even accounting for Ovechkin’s one extra year of playing in the NHL, he has proven to be more durable than Crosby who has a concussion history.

That should be factored into any calculations on how many more seasons each is capable of playing at a high level. If Ovechkin continues to play more games, his points total should continue to be above Crosby’s (with the magic number of 800 goals still attainable for the Washington Capitals star).

All that said, we know in the world of sports collecting, stats aren’t the only factor in determining the value of the card. Long seen by the NHL as the league’s golden boy, Crosby seems to command a higher level of respect from fans of the game as well as fellow players and coaches.

Perhaps that’s why Ovechkin’s 2005 SP Authentic autographed rookie card (both graded BGS 9.5 GEM MT) is valued on eBay at about $500 while Crosby’s is listed at almost double that figure at $949 (both numbered to /999).

Personally that seems ridiculous to me. I would be more than happy to buy Ovechkin’s rookie card at the lower price point and see the appreciation of his rookie card soar over the years.

What do you think?