Sidney Crosby Defends Connor McDavid After Suspension

Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid is the best player on the planet. That also means he gets a lot of attention and abuse on the ice. One player who can relate? Pittsburgh Penguins icon Sidney Crosby. He’s been in the same boat for years.

On Monday, NHL Player Safety slapped McDavid with a three-game suspension for his cross-check on Conor Garland during Saturday’s loss to the Vancouver Canucks. The Oilers have since voiced their displeasure with the ruling as well.

Speaking after a morning skate on Monday in LA, Crosby gave his take on the situation.

Via Josh Yohe of The Athletic:

“I saw the cross-check,” Crosby  said just hours before the suspension was announced. “But I couldn’t tell if it was his glove or his stick that hit him in the face.”

“It’s hard to say how bad it was from the angle that was available,” Crosby said. “You’re splitting hairs.”

In other words, Sid The Kid doesn’t see an issue with Connor McDavid’s glove hitting Garland in the face — but his stick is a much different story.

Crosby is well aware that McDavid gets constantly hounded by opponents every single time he steps on the ice. But, the one instance he let his emotions take over, it cost him:

“It’s like anything,” Crosby said. “Sometimes your emotions get the best of you. It’s a physical sport. The one time you see that, you probably didn’t see there nine hits that Connor took. Those ones are the ones that never make the highlights. When you retaliate, you make the highlights.”

McDavid decided to not appeal his suspension. He won’t be able to return to the Oilers lineup until next Monday when they host the Seattle Kraken.

Crosby summed the incident up in two perfect words:

“That’s hockey,” Crosby said.

I’m sure McDavid will learn from the situation and make sure it doesn’t happen again because he knows better than anyone just how badly Edmonton needs him.