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Downie vows to protect Crosby, Malkin

Sidney Crosby, Steve Downie

Colorado Avalanche’s Steve Downie (17) knocks the puck off the stick of Pittsburgh Penguins’ Sidney Crosby (87) in the third period of an NHL hockey game in Pittsburgh Monday, Oct. 21, 2013. The Avalanche won 1-0. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

AP

Back in 2010, Steve Downie delivered a questionable blow on Sidney Crosby. Now that they’re teammates with the Pittsburgh Penguins, he vows to make sure others don’t take liberties with the star forward.

The 27-year-old forward is a gritty player - especially for a solid scorer - yet he’s not often labeled as an “enforcer.” Then again, Downie poses a much better chance of being on the ice alongside top players like Crosby and Evgeni Malkin than a tough guy like departed defenseman Deryk Engelland.

The bigger problem might be Downie avoiding injury enough to protect Crosby and Malkin, though.

Downie was limited to 62 games in 2013-14, two in 2012-13, 75 in 2011-12 and so on. You can’t protect your teammates if you’re too injured to play, after all.

All that aside, it’s a nice low-risk pickup for the Penguins. Downie has a 22-goal season on his resume (along with multiple other double-digit scoring seasons) and can agitate/bring the snarl. Scoring some early points with potentially skeptical teammates with comments like these can only help him make a nice impression, whether he can back up those words or not.

Follow James O’Brien @cyclelikesedins