Late in the first period of tonight's game between the Ottawa Senators and Pittsburgh Penguins, a play no one wants to see occured, a career grinder laid a dirty check on a superstar.
Austin Watson of the Senators, a 31 year old with more penalty minutes than games played, needlessly gave Crosby a cross-check to the back, sending him to the ice. There was no penalty called on the play, be it cross checking or interference.
Crosby never left the game with an injury, but was shaken up and surely will feel the effects of that cross check while attempting to drag the Penguins to a playoff berth, while Watson could likely be riding the bus in the American League.
In line with recent standard of officiating in the NHL, no penalty was called on the play, for apparently no reason. Crosby could be seen later in the game visibly arguing with the referees about this call. In recent months, Crosby has taken a stance on player issues, criticizing both the playoff seeding format and the inability to comment on officiating. With instances like this, Crosby could be further compelled to use his star status as leverage to advocate for a better NHL.
