Sidney Crosby thought he'd experienced everything in the National Hockey League, but at the age of 35 the Pittsburgh Penguins star was handed an unwanted first game misconduct.
The three-time Stanley Cup winner and two-time MVP is approaching 20 years in the NHL, but lost his cool on Sunday against the Los Angeles Kings. The Penguins were 5-0 down in the third period against the Kings, when Crosby had an altercation with Mikey Anderson.
Crosby was cross-checked and reacted angrily, and after initially being handed a misconduct it was then upgraded to a game penalty as he left the ice. Crosby let the officials know exactly how he felt and departed the arena for an early shower, something he experienced for the first time.
The Penguins went on to lose 6-0 against the Kings, as nothing went right for them at Crypto.com Arena. The same stage where NBA legend LeBron James broke Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's all-time points record just days earlier, saw NHL great Crosby endure a very different type of evening.
Crosby was shocked, and the officials ruling seemed rather harsh seeing as it was the Penguins star that was on the receiving end of a cross-check. "I could tell he [Anderson] was saying something," Crosby said when reflecting on the incident.
"I don't know what he was saying because we were pretty far from each other. I got closer and that happens often in a lot of scrums.
"Honestly, I was shocked that I was getting kicked out of the game. I had no idea." However, when being pressed for further comment, Crosby was careful to prevent any further repercussions.
"I mean, can I really say what I think anyway? Let's be honest here," he added. Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan was also shocked after the game, and claimed he never got an official reasoning from the officials over why Crosby was disciplined.
"I don't think Garrett had any interest in giving us an explanation," Sullivan said after consulting with referee Garrett Rank. The 20 penalty minutes that Crosby received were the second highest he's ever had in 1,160 career games.
It is only the fifth time that the Penguins star has had at least 10 minutes of penalties in a game, but it was his first-ever game ejection. It's not something that he'll wish to replicate, and it's very out of character for the NHL legend.
The Penguins are fifth in the Metropolitan division, and will need a boost during the second half of the season to ensure they make the play-offs. Crosby has 24 goals and 38 assists in 52 games this season, and continues to be a key figure in their roster.
