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?"
THE ASYLUM
Drive 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?"
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