There has been a lot of chatter between Sidney Crosby and P.K. Subban during the Stanley Cup Finals, but Crosby appeared to show a bit more of an evil and immature side last night with some unfortunate antics.
Late in the first period of Game 5, Crosby and Subban found themselves battling for the puck behind the net. The two became tangled up and tumbled to the ice. Crosby then took advantage of the situation by repeatedly shoving and hitting Subban’s head into the ice. Afterwards, both Crosby and Subban were sent off for matching penalties. However, it would appear as though the refs missed a pretty blatant extra call that could have been made on Crosby for the additional attacks.
“He was doing some UFC move on my foot. So I don’t know what he was trying to do, but I was trying to get out of there.” Crosby said of the play after the game.
While Subban dismissed everything as “just hockey,” Nashville Predators coach Peter Laviolette was quite disappointed with the way the refs handled that situation.
“I don’t understand it,” he said. “I really don’t understand the call. I saw my guy get his head cross-checked into the ice 10 times. I don’t even know what he did, P.K. I’m not sure. I disagree with the call.”
Later in the game, with the Penguins already ahead by several goals, Crosby would take it to another level. Unhappy with a missed slashing call out on the ice, Crosby grabbed a water bottle from the bench and tossed it on to the ice towards a Predators defenseman. With the Penguins having possession of the puck, the play should have been whistled dead and a penalty issued to Crosby. Unfortunately, the incident and call were missed and the Penguins would go on to add another goal to their lead.
Crosby, of course, did not admit guilt afterwards. Instead, he insisted the bottle slipped out of his hand.
“I didn’t throw it,” Crosby told NBC’s Pierre McGuire. “I got a way better arm than that. It’s just one of those things that, before I knew it, it was flying out of my hand. I know you’re not allowed to do it. I’m not going to start doing it in the Stanley Cup Final.”
Two incidents in one night from the NHL’s poster boy, the Penguins captain, and arguably the best hockey player in the world today. It definitely makes it hard to want to root for a guy like that.
