from Hemal Jhaveri of For The Win at USA TODAY,

Pittsburgh fans couldn’t care less about Crosby’s reputation and they shouldn’t. Crosby is the best player in the game and they have him on their team, everything short of actually maiming a guy on the ice will be justifiable in a quest to win the Cup.

But for Pittsburgh outsiders and casual fans, Crosby’s antics last night were a vivid reminder of exactly why they don’t like him in the first place.

First, there was the tussle with Subban towards the end of the first period where Subban grabbed Crosby’s legs, and Crosby tried to escape by repeatedly pushed Subban’s head into the ice, in full view of a ref. Players push limits all the time, but this went beyond just playoff hockey, and, for the uninitiated, it’s just a bad visual.

Think about it: here’s the best player in the game punching another dude’s head into the ice, and no one is doing anything to stop it.

During NBC’s intermission, Mike Milbury stayed true to his roots and defended Crosby’s actions, noting that the star player finally got some revenge.

“It’s cagey,” Milbury said. “And Subban had it coming.”

Again, Milbury stepping up for Crosby certainly advances the narrative that the hockey establishment has gone all in on making sure the Penguins super star succeeds. Now, Crosby has certainly had his share of taking brutal hits during the playoffs, but taking all of his frustrations out on Subban’s head was indefensible.

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