Overshadowed

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"Sid the Kid" are three of the most common words in the NHL these days.

Everywhere you turn, someone is promoting Pittsburgh Penguins rookie Sidney Crosby. The Penguins' publicity machine churns out material. The league's new cable outlet features him in slogans that compare Crosby to the great Wayne Gretzky. The NHL promotes him heavily on its Web site.

The new face of the league, according to the cover of ESPN the Magazine, is not the sterling rookie of the Washington Capitals, Alex Ovechkin. It is -- of course -- Sid the Kid.

The battle on the ice clearly belongs to Ovechkin, who holds a strong statistical edge over Crosby. Just as clearly, Crosby is winning this battle of hype -- a fight that is most unusual in hockey circles. There are those who simply want it to disappear.

"I think the two people involved would likely wish it would just go away," said coach Glen Hanlon of the Capitals, who face the Penguins tonight in Pittsburgh. "This time it's not quite the same as it was the first time. There's special games for each player in the room. It's a close group, and I'm sure they would like to win for Alex, but it's just our next game."

Crosby was the first player chosen in the 2005 draft, Ovechkin the first in 2004. Crosby took the lead in one statistical category -- attention gained -- as soon as play resumed in October after the lockout that wiped out last season.

On Oct. 5, the first night of play, the league sent audio feed to hundreds of radio stations when a certain Penguins rookie assisted on a goal in his first game, a loss.

Another rookie also playing his first NHL game scored two goals and propelled his team to a victory. That accomplishment, however, was not immediately acknowledged by the league.

The question is, why? Crosby is neither dominating the rookie scoring race nor playing his team into the postseason.

Heading into last night's games, the Penguins were tied for the fewest wins in the league this season with 11 and ranked last in the Eastern Conference with 31 points. The Capitals, led by Ovechkin, have fared at least somewhat better: They have 17 wins, though they rank only above the Penguins in the conference.