The NHL’s Department of Player Safety won’t discipline Sidney Crosby for this reckless and dangerous incident with Martin Fehervary of the Washington Capitals.
Late in Sunday’s game with the Pittsburgh Penguins down 5-1 to the Capitals at the time, Crosby and Fehervary got involved with one another below the Washington goal line. After Crosby took a shot on goal, Fehervary skated with him to the corner to finish off his defensive assignment on the play. The pair got entangled with one another and Crosby — instead of skating around his opponent or stopping — tossed Fehervary violently into the boards behind him.
Crosby wasn’t penalized on the play, but the ensuing highlight made waves in hockey circles as the Penguins ultimately fell to their Metropolitan Division rivals 6-1.
Crosby taking out some frustration in his return to the lineup. Pens down 5-1 to Caps pic.twitter.com/zHD40mg7OW
— Brady Trettenero (@BradyTrett) November 15, 2021
That’s definitely a dangerous hockey play right there and honestly, Crosby should know better given his history with concussions. I get that frustrations can boil over in the heat of the moment, but it’s still not a good look overall. Crosby may have to deal with a lot of uncalled penalties as a star in the NHL — and that sucks as the league’s rulebook should be called for and against everyone — yet that shouldn’t preclude him from discipline.
Hockey fans were… less than pleased with the NHL’s lack of supplemental discipline against Crosby, especially given that there was no penalty assessed in the moment for it.