Sidney Crosby is once again the center of attention. While he made plenty of noise in Game 5 with his team’s explosive offensive outburst and his attempt to smash P.K. Subban’s head into the ice, this time the focus is on something he did while he was on the bench.
With the Penguins enjoying a 4-0 lead, Crosby noticed teammate Chris Kunitz deliver a big hit on Mattias Ekholm behind the Nashville goal. Ekholm got up from the hit and swung his stick at Kunitz, leading Crosby to do what any rational hockey player would do.
He chucked his water bottle at Ekholm.
That’s almost too silly to believe it actually happened in a Stanley Cup Final game. Later, Crosby spoke with the officials and tried to explain that his water bottle throw was an accident.
Crosby and his teammates were visibly upset by Ekholm’s attempted slash, but Crosby’s decision to throw his bottle is just ridiculous. For starters, his throw should have led to a penalty which would have negated the Penguins’ fifth goal of the night. That goal ultimately didn’t matter much in a lopsided 6-0 result, but the fact of the matter remains that Crosby acted more like a child than a captain of a team closing in on another Cup.
Crosby is far and away one of the best players in the NHL, but it’s difficult to defend such a silly action.
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