Sidney Crosby to Alex Ovechkin: 'It was a cheap shot'

by FrankD on Jan 15, 2009 4:48 PM EST in News Comment 21 comments

"In the second period he hit me near the boards and I just wanted to tell him it was a cheap shot, sticking his leg in behind mine."

Sidney Crosby
Washington Post

EDIT 9PM: Alternate angle video courtesy of PensFan8725. Does that one look any different?

Really don't know how to take this one. Frankly there are so many different angles to spin this, much like the now legendary Alexander Semin quote. Be sure to keep your eyes open to see if the ol' newspapers fire away with something tonight/tomorrow.

Personally I don't see where it's a dirty hit. This is one of those examples of "finishing checks." Ovechkin is familiar with how Sid plays. Who's to say Sid wasn't seconds away from cutting back down the boards? Ovechkin, much to his credit, played some heads up hockey and gave Crosby no option at all. As for that whole 'foot behind me' thing I don't see it. That's all shoulder right there.

It's moments like this where I really feel Sid is just better off not saying anything at all. The problem is the media hounds him before and after every game, so he's bound to let a little something like this slip.

Is it an isssue? No, not at all. All it does is give Sid-haters more grounds for making whatever nefarious claim they wish to make. The hit, the quote - I see nothing wrong.

But like I said before - let's see how others choose to spin this.

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Sid don't complain

If you get hit and you don’t like it. You do something about it. Sid i love you man. But don’t complain to the media. This is hockey, not croquet

by sdhman11 on Jan 15, 2009 5:20 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

I’m much more upset about Cooke getting two minutes for something he might have done.

Sure, it may be a rough stretch, but at least it's okay to like Jaromir Jagr again.

by JDunman on Jan 15, 2009 6:55 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

I like how the announcers said the refs “anticipated the call.” That’s like saying 2 minutes for breathing.

Follow the Penguins on SBN @ Pensburgh.com

by FrankD on Jan 15, 2009 8:58 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

if that’s a dirty hit then maybe Sid belongs in a no-check league. C’mon Sid, step up and play hockey. Actions speak louder than words. The team needs a leader not whiner.

by digital_cable on Jan 15, 2009 7:19 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Cross Ice Angle

When I first read the quote I thought 1. It’s from a Washington newspaper and 2. Sid is so restrained in front of the media, so it seems a little a little far fetched that he would say something like that. Although, the team has been having a rough time lately and Sid probably was frustrated about the loss and his injury.
I remember that in a montage, that was played before the start of the third, FSN had a better angle of the hit. So I took another look, and in Sid’s defense, to does seem that AO’s skate nudges the back of Sid’s (which knocks him off balance) just before the hit.
I know it’s low quality, but watch Alex’s left skate.
http://s541.photobucket.com/albums/gg373/longhornbabe7/?action=view&current=0115091844.flv
I don’t know whether you call that “incidental” or “intentional”

by PensFan8725 on Jan 15, 2009 8:20 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

I can see your point. It’s still hard to say, I mean it’s pretty obviously he led with his shoulder but that’s definitely up for debate. I guess I can see where Sid is coming from but I also agree with digital)cable when he said the team needs a leader, not a whiner. Legit or not, take it in stride and look forward to next game. Now maybe, MAYBE if that was the hit that took Sid out of the game I’d have a different tone, but that wasn’t the case.

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by FrankD on Jan 15, 2009 8:56 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

It might have been a little dirty

It did appear AO put his knee in behind Sid’s right leg and kind of tripped him..

But it wasn’t worth a comment by Sid… Had the Pens won 4 of 5 games or 2 of 3 or hell 2 of the last 5 games, I don’t think Sid even says anything about it…

Seems like just frustration coming out more than anything.

by Stros Bro on Jan 15, 2009 9:07 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

He’s been showing a lot of that lately. I kinda get tired of hearing complaints because I’d rather just see results.

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by FrankD on Jan 15, 2009 9:09 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

yeah, definitely…i think we can all understand how frustrating it has to be for the whole team lately (especially with how well we did last year). but it must be especially frustrating for sid and geno to have really stepped up their offensive game lately with, aside from the win in philly, almost no response from the rest of the team.

by PensFan8725 on Jan 15, 2009 9:12 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I see the contact Crosby’s talking about but it just seems like a sightly awkward angle rather than an attempt to run someone.

by David M. Getz on Jan 16, 2009 10:03 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

The fact that the pens site said that Sidney wasn’t available to the media, although the reporter claims that he caught sid as he was walking out of the arena, it just doesn’t seem like sid would say something like that to any media personnel – let alone a washington reporter. Something seems a little off to me…or maybe I’m a little off but that’s just my opinion.

by PensFan8725 on Jan 15, 2009 9:08 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

You’re far from off. You make a solid point, and it’s one I wanted to present in the post but would rather leave it up for discussion. When writers do stuff like that I categorize it in the same department as when they credit a “source close to the team.” While I’m sure there are instances where things like that are legit, you have to think that in the days of clickable media it’s sometimes blown out of proportion/dramatized for traffic purposes.

Am I a bit off for thinking that?

Follow the Penguins on SBN @ Pensburgh.com

by FrankD on Jan 15, 2009 9:11 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

So skate nudging should be a penalty?

by Feeshbate on Jan 16, 2009 3:28 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Lol no not at all, but for such a little part in the article it would be a little silly to spin a quote. And you’re right about the traffic thing. As much as i hate it when the call sid “the face of the NHL”, it’s no secret that rating go up when #87 plays. I guess that fact is directly proportional to website hits.

by PensFan8725 on Jan 15, 2009 9:16 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Good Article on Pens current state of affairs

Okay, just so I understand it... in your wildest fantasy, you are in hell. And you are co-running a bed and breakfast with the devil.

by bren on Jan 15, 2009 9:52 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

ok, try that again

Link

Okay, just so I understand it... in your wildest fantasy, you are in hell. And you are co-running a bed and breakfast with the devil.

by bren on Jan 15, 2009 9:52 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

That’s a great article. I completely agree with that article. I believe the only reason they are keeping Satan around is because they don’t have anybody coming up and scoring or competing to push him out of the organization. There is absolutely no reason to bring in an elite scoring winger. There is also no reason to throw away the rest of the season. We just need a couple more people who work there tails off and produce.

by paps35 on Jan 16, 2009 6:39 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Agreed.

Ah, I love the article lol

We didn’t lose everything in a month. … In a month, I didn’t become a dumb coach. I didn’t lose any faith in my players. Sometimes, we lose our focus, but not our skill. "
— Pens coach Michel Therrien

by AppleSweetRose on Jan 16, 2009 11:38 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

This recent streak reminds me of what got Eddie O fired. How many coaches are the Penguins going to have to go through before the players get their act together and keep it that way? IMO, Therrien is an excellent coach and it would be a mistake to let him go, but I also understand that if Shero does nothing and this team misses the playoffs, that’s a disaster.

Ugly situation all round, but I don’t think the coach or the personnel is the issue. Without Hossa and Malone, this team probably isn’t the best team in the East, but it should easily make the playoffs at least.

If Granato and/or Giguere really think that this is "up-tempo," I feel bad for their wives.

by JonHaven on Jan 16, 2009 11:44 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Hossa wasn’t as big a factor as many claim. He joined up late in the season and even went down right off the bat with a sprained knee/mcl for 2 weeks. Sure he contributed during the playoffs, but you’re more spot on with the mention of Malone. Guys like him, in addition to some initimdators/instigators like Ruutu and Laraque really filled the team out last season. They just seem lost right now. I’m confident and will remain confident that they will get into the playoffs. But how far they’ll go is another story

Follow the Penguins on SBN @ Pensburgh.com

by FrankD on Jan 16, 2009 12:12 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

“Lost” is a good word, they’re losing, but its not like they’re not putting the effort in. They were playing 1/2 or 1/3 of games early in the season and winning anyway. Now, chemistry is at absolute zero and 60 minute efforts still aren’t enough. It’s very strange to me.

If Granato and/or Giguere really think that this is "up-tempo," I feel bad for their wives.

by JonHaven on Jan 16, 2009 3:48 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs