Sidney Crosby's ninth career fight, and first since Oct. 5, 2019, against the Blue Jackets' Pierre-Luc Dubois, came against the Jets' Kyle Connor 38 seconds into the third period, and it pitted a living legend against ... a Lady Byng Trophy recipient who'd never previously gone with anyone?
The entire scene, including Connor's reverse-hit that made Sid mad enough to chase him around for a couple cross-checks before the gloves dropped:
Kyle Connor: 1st career fight Sidney Crosby: 9th career fight (including playoffs) pic.twitter.com/saElMbmp8H
Sid wasn't in the home locker room once it opened to media, but it's easy to see what ticked him off: Players hate -- and I mean hate -- those reverse-hits. And it's not just Rasmus Ristolainen dishing them out these days. They're everywhere, and they're dangerous.
My friend Mike McIntyre of the Winnipeg Free Press asked Connor ...
• What happened: "I mean, he didn't like the hit, apparently, and was going to the net, and he regrouped and came out to me with a couple of cross-checks. And it just kind of happened. And we're not taking (crap) from anybody. So it just kinda escalated."
• Whether he was aware of who it was: "I mean, yeah. Everybody plays. There's nobody different out there. It's hockey players."
• Whether he'd consider that a reverse-hit or simply stopping to brace himself for contact: "Kinda just what it looked like right?"
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THE ASYLUM
Dejan Kovacevic
12:24 am - 11.23.2024PPG Paints ArenaDrive to the Net: Fight Lady Byng?
Sidney Crosby's ninth career fight, and first since Oct. 5, 2019, against the Blue Jackets' Pierre-Luc Dubois, came against the Jets' Kyle Connor 38 seconds into the third period, and it pitted a living legend against ... a Lady Byng Trophy recipient who'd never previously gone with anyone?
The entire scene, including Connor's reverse-hit that made Sid mad enough to chase him around for a couple cross-checks before the gloves dropped:
Sid wasn't in the home locker room once it opened to media, but it's easy to see what ticked him off: Players hate -- and I mean hate -- those reverse-hits. And it's not just Rasmus Ristolainen dishing them out these days. They're everywhere, and they're dangerous.
My friend Mike McIntyre of the Winnipeg Free Press asked Connor ...
• What happened: "I mean, he didn't like the hit, apparently, and was going to the net, and he regrouped and came out to me with a couple of cross-checks. And it just kind of happened. And we're not taking (crap) from anybody. So it just kinda escalated."
• Whether he was aware of who it was: "I mean, yeah. Everybody plays. There's nobody different out there. It's hockey players."
• Whether he'd consider that a reverse-hit or simply stopping to brace himself for contact: "Kinda just what it looked like right?"
Want to participate in our comments?
Want an ad-free experience?
Become a member, and enjoy premium benefits! Make your voice heard on the Steelers, Penguins and Pirates, and hear right back from tens of thousands of fellow Pittsburgh sports fans worldwide! Plus, access all our premium content, including Dejan Kovacevic columns, Friday Insider, daily Live Qs with the staff, more! And yeah, that's right, no ads at all!
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