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Adams might not have a chance to pull Hartnell’s hair in Game 4

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James

For a moment, it seemed like Sidney Crosby and Scott Hartnell were going to drop the gloves during Game 4. Instead, Pittsburgh Penguins winger - and Harvard product - Craig Adams stepped in to bail Crosby out of possible instigator implications. In the process, it appeared that he may have tugged on Hartnell’s lush locks, but believe it or not, that might not be the worst result of that exchange.

As Seth Rorabaugh points out, Adams might be guilty of breaking Rule 46.22, which states that a player will be suspended one game for incurring an instigator penalty late in a game. Such a scenario would also theoretically set Dan Bylsma back at least $10K according to Rorabaugh.

Of course, Rorabaugh also points out that the rule is rarely enforced - at least during the postseason. In fact, Evgeni Malkin got away with a prominent example of what could have been interpreted as a violation of the rule during Game 2 of the 2009 Stanley Cup finals but didn’t face a suspension.

In other words, Hartnell’s follicles should be warned because Adams is likely going to be available for Wednesday’s contest. Still, it’s a good excuse to linger on a moment that was strange even compared to the weird series of events that came before it, isn’t it? (Click here to watch the full game again, by the way.)