Penguins' stars 'can protect themselves' vs. Flyers
Sidney Crosby laughed a little bit when told of Rick Tocchet's comments.
"Those guys don't die," was what Tocchet said of Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang after the Flyers clinched a playoff spot and a first-round meeting with the Penguins. "It's going to be a tough series, and we're going to have to go after those guys.”
Crosby was unfazed by the "go after those guys" line.
"Yeah, I mean, it's to be expected," he said with a chuckle. "What else you expect him to say? I think we're all out there competing. We all want the same thing. And you know, that's how it works."
Tocchet's quote shouldn't be interpreted as a vow to be head-hunting, playing dirty, or anything like that. But the previous meetings between the Penguins and Flyers this season have gotten chippy, there's no doubt about that. So now with the stakes increasing, is there a need for other players to step up and make an extra effort to protect the stars?
"No, no!" Connor Clifton said when I asked. "They can protect themselves. I mean, this time of year everyone's gonna be physical. We're going do the same thing to their top guys, every series is going have that. You want to talk about those three? They thrive in big moments, and it's obviously a big moment. They've been doing it a long time, missing playoffs a couple years now. I'm sure they're chomping at the bit to start the series."
Parker Wotherspoon, who has been at the center of some of that regular-season physicality with the Flyers, thought Tocchet's comments were more "gamesmanship" than anything, but there's still some truth there.
"I think obviously they're going to target our best players, because they're elite players in this league," Wotherspoon said. "Yeah, we can do the best we can and protect them. I think they do a pretty good job protecting themselves, too. They're pretty hard to catch."
THE ASYLUM
Penguins' stars 'can protect themselves' vs. Flyers
Sidney Crosby laughed a little bit when told of Rick Tocchet's comments.
"Those guys don't die," was what Tocchet said of Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang after the Flyers clinched a playoff spot and a first-round meeting with the Penguins. "It's going to be a tough series, and we're going to have to go after those guys.”
Crosby was unfazed by the "go after those guys" line.
"Yeah, I mean, it's to be expected," he said with a chuckle. "What else you expect him to say? I think we're all out there competing. We all want the same thing. And you know, that's how it works."
Tocchet's quote shouldn't be interpreted as a vow to be head-hunting, playing dirty, or anything like that. But the previous meetings between the Penguins and Flyers this season have gotten chippy, there's no doubt about that. So now with the stakes increasing, is there a need for other players to step up and make an extra effort to protect the stars?
"No, no!" Connor Clifton said when I asked. "They can protect themselves. I mean, this time of year everyone's gonna be physical. We're going do the same thing to their top guys, every series is going have that. You want to talk about those three? They thrive in big moments, and it's obviously a big moment. They've been doing it a long time, missing playoffs a couple years now. I'm sure they're chomping at the bit to start the series."
Parker Wotherspoon, who has been at the center of some of that regular-season physicality with the Flyers, thought Tocchet's comments were more "gamesmanship" than anything, but there's still some truth there.
"I think obviously they're going to target our best players, because they're elite players in this league," Wotherspoon said. "Yeah, we can do the best we can and protect them. I think they do a pretty good job protecting themselves, too. They're pretty hard to catch."
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