Few, if any, hockey fans criticize Sidney Crosby’s skills or effort. Plenty of people still have a problem with the Pittsburgh Penguins center’s passion, particularly when he straddles the line between feisty and dirty.
And, of course, there are plenty who can’t stand Crosby chirping at referees, even if it’s a pretty common practice among most players.
Crosby’s gotten pretty nasty with Brandon Dubinsky and other members of the Columbus Blue Jackets, and things have been quite chippy between the two teams in their opening games in Pittsburgh. The Columbus Dispatch is really feeding into the disdain (and Crosby’s “reputation”) with these “Sid the Kid masks.”
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You really just have to see them for yourself because ... wow.
Update: the tweet has since been deleted, but Russian Machine Never Breaks has a screen grab of the mask.
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen groups of fans go after Crosby, nor is this the only time a newspaper’s jumped into the fray. Remember the Chicago Tribune’s “Chrissy Pronger” debacle?
Even so, it’s bewildering anytime you see it. This isn’t a random Blue Jackets blog, mind you. It’s unlikely that this will make a bitter series any uglier - the two teams should provide the vitriol - but it’s still a surprising sight.
Especially if we see thousands in the stands during Game 3.