Crosby fires back at Sens owner Melnyk: 'He likes to hear himself talk'
Sidney Crosby is usually attracting attention for all the right reasons. Lately, his stick is making headlines for the wrong ones.
In the wake of Crosby’s slash that left Ottawa defenseman Marc Methot with a mutilated finger last week, Senators owner Eugene Melnik ripped the Pittsburgh Penguins superstar, calling him a “whiner” and demanding a 10-game suspension from the league. On Sunday, Crosby dismissed Melnyk’s tirade with a subtle, yet effective, jab.
Crosby on Melnyk's comments: "I’m just going to leave it. He likes to hear himself talk, so let’s just leave it. It was four days ago" -MC
— Pens Inside Scoop (@PensInsideScoop) March 26, 2017
[Follow Puck Daddy on social media: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Tumblr]
Methot will apparently be sidelined for “weeks,” according to Melnyk, who tore into Crosby’s character Friday shortly after the league said the Pens captain would not be disciplined.
“We all know who he is, the guy is just a whiner beyond belief,” Melnyk told TSN Radio 1200. “You do this kind of stuff, I don’t care who you are in the league, I don’t care if you’re the number one player in the league, you should sit out for a long time for this kind of crap.”
In explaining the slash, Crosby was adamant that he meant no harm to the Senators defenseman, who he suggested was a victim of some unfortunate luck.
“It’s something that happens a lot, but you don’t want to see guys get hurt. Obviously he’s an example where if you get it [a stick] in the wrong spot, it can hurt,” Crosby said.
Crosby’s agent Pat Brisson also weighed in on the war of words Friday, calling for the league to come down hard on Melnyk for the critical remarks.
“In my opinion, a team owner who makes a negative comment about a player outside of his organization should be fined for such action. It’s worse than tampering and against the culture of our game,” said Brisson.
