I agree — plus, I’m sure Malkin felt terrible about it. He’s not a prima donna attitude problem who doesn’t respect the coaches. He just screwed up, and there’s no reason for coaches to “send him a message” when he already has the right attitude and focus.

Sometimes I read about coaches punishing players in various ways on other teams, and I think about how you don’t hear those stories with the Pens. I think it’s a combination of our players generally being serious, dedicated, and respectful (a tone set by team leaders, especially Sid, and followed by the team) and our coaches knowing how to manage players before problems reach that level.