It has been ten years since the Steckel on Crosby hit.

[tenken00]

The poster said that he played hockey "at all levels", which is horseshit. I chuckled.

As for the hit, it's no way in hell what a typical NHL fan thinks of when they think of the Crosby/Ovechkin rivalry. Probably not even on the first page of what they think of.

Yea. I actually forgot about that hit. Certainly not the first thing I think about over the Ovie/Crosby era.

I agree that the dueling hat tricks is the first thing that comes to mind. Because it highlights what made both players great, and the biggest positives in their careers rather than a lowlight.

 

[ElLeetch]

he should have hit him harder.

 

[Burke the Legend]

You guys are beyond delusional. Crosby skates and turns directly into him and Steckel tries to avoid contact by moving left. Steckel was also one of the softest players I have ever seen. Blindside hit .... go watch figure skating for gods sake

Total ignoramos if you don’t think an NHLer like steckel saw him and did that on purpose.

 

[txpd]

Yea. I actually forgot about that hit. Certainly not the first thing I think about over the Ovie/Crosby era.

I agree that the dueling hat tricks is the first thing that comes to mind. Because it highlights what made both players great, and the biggest positives in their careers rather than a lowlight.

Eh...the dueling hat tricks is really bullshit. Kunitz crosschecked Varlamov in the neck in the crease to set up that 3rd Crosby goal. Forgetting that part of it and its an NHL alltime highlight. But letting Kunitz get away with that clean was such a crock of S***

 

[tenken00]

Eh...the dueling hat tricks is really bullshit. Kunitz crosschecked Varlamov in the neck in the crease to set up that 3rd Crosby goal. Forgetting that part of it and its an NHL alltime highlight. But letting Kunitz get away with that clean was such a crock of S***

It happens. I'm still not over Reaves crosscheck to Carlson's back to score and tie the game in Game 1 of the Cup finals. I wonder why he was so wide open??

 

[Aaaaaaaaaaaaa]

Accidental on purpose is the best way to describe it. Lots of us have done it in some form or another. Like Kypreos accidentally falling on Grant Fuhr. Anyway, the defining moment of the rivalry was the '09 hat trick game. I think Ovechkin outplayed Sid, but the Pens still won. Kind of defines their careers a lot when you think about it. Both are top ten players of all time, first ballot HOFers, and have a lot to be proud of individually and as leaders.

 

[txpd]

It happens. I'm still not over Reaves crosscheck to Carlson's back to score and tie the game in Game 1 of the Cup finals. I wonder why he was so wide open??

Yea, that sucked but it was a typical crosscheck and he paid for it the next game. Kunitz crosschecked on goaltender on his knees in the head/neck. He should have been suspended. IIRC he was fined. For that to be what created the double hat trick just sucks.

 

[txpd]

Accidental on purpose is the best way to describe it. Lots of us have done it in some form or another. Like Kypreos accidentally falling on Grant Fuhr. Anyway, the defining moment of the rivalry was the '09 hat trick game. I think Ovechkin outplayed Sid, but the Pens still won. Kind of defines their careers a lot when you think about it. Both are top ten players of all time, first ballot HOFers, and have a lot to be proud of individually and as leaders.

Sorry. Are you talking about the crosscheck on Varlamov?

 

[Griffin6612]

It wasnt an accident. But it wasnt intended to be bad. Just a shit circumstance.

 

[Aaaaaaaaaaaaa]

Sorry. Are you talking about the crosscheck on Varlamov?

Talking about a million times where guys get there sticks and elbows up or get their knees out a bit, maybe catch a guy with his head down and cheap him a bit...and don't mean to cause injury, but weren't being innocent either. I'm not going to fight for anyone being right and wrong...90% of them do it. It's not limited to any one team.

 

[TheAngryHank]

Crosby should watch where he is going.

 

[RVACapsFan]

No one in league history has been softer and had more apologists for his softness than Crosby

 

[txpd]

Talking about a million times where guys get there sticks and elbows up or get their knees out a bit, maybe catch a guy with his head down and cheap him a bit...and don't mean to cause injury, but weren't being innocent either. I'm not going to fight for anyone being right and wrong...90% of them do it. It's
not limited to any one team.

Yea ok, That happens all the time. I cant think of a single time that ive seen a goalie crosschecked in the head in the crease in the butterfly. Ever. Ive seen them run over and slashed and stuff. Crosschecked?? Come on. Further Kunitz was square to Varly with a clear path to him. There was no reason for accidental contact. But.....ok.

 

[Hisch13r]

No one in league history has been softer and had more apologists for his softness than Crosby

Imagine actually thinking Sidney Crosby of all people plays a soft game... He's the best player of his generation even dealing with abuse 24/7 when he was younger. You cannot be soft and be as great as Sid is with all the shit he's taken

 

[Old Gregg]

Yea, that sucked but it was a typical crosscheck and he paid for it the next game. Kunitz crosschecked on goaltender on his knees in the head/neck. He should have been suspended. IIRC he was fined. For that to be what created the double hat trick just sucks.

Kinda like in game 1 of the 2017 game between the pens and caps when Ovechkin ran Fleury during that scramble?

 

[nbwingsfan]

No one in league history has been softer and had more apologists for his softness than Crosby

Hes actually one of the tougher star players in NHL history but okay

 

[PB37]

Ahh yes, the time that Crosby acidently got Cooke'd.

 

[tenken00]

David Steckel tried to apologize for hitting Sidney Crosby at Winter Classic | ProHockeyTalk | NBC Sports

“It was completely unintentional,” Steckel said. “I didn’t mean to hit him at all. I tried to get out of the way and it’s unfortunate that he’s been out for so long. It’s one of those things that’s uncertain.”

Although it was an accident, Steckel said he reached out to apologize to Crosby through Penguins defenseman Deryk Engelland, who was his AHL teammate in Hershey.

“I said, ‘Tell Sid I’m really sorry. I didn’t see him at all,’” Steckel said. “And I haven’t talked to him since.”

 

[BigBadBruins7708]

Maybe Crosby should've been smart enough to watch where he's going in the offensive zone?

 

[Pockets16]

Steckel is the softest 6'6 Center of all time. Which makes this nonsense even funnier

Yeah because "soft" players have never, ever thrown dirty hits before, classic Hfboards.

 

[Antropovsky]

I saw Steckel play in Toronto... I bet he monitored and iced the suspected contact area on his arm for weeks after the collision. Probably even contemplated early retirement due to PTSD.

 

[sr edler]

Yeah because "soft" players have never, ever thrown dirty hits before, classic Hfboards.

Explain how this "hit" is "thrown". Explain how it's even a hit. Because I assuredly can't see anything close to a hit here, so I'm super curious.

Explain the dynamics here – how the actual "hit" is "thrown" – and not just "I know what's in other people's heads because I read horoscopes & study astrology".

Because what I see is a 5'11 player making a sharp turn right into the straight skating lane of a 6'6 player just heading upwards along with the play. 6'6 player tries to get out of the way but 5'11 player just cuts him off too abruptly and gets clipped by his shoulder/arm/whatever as a result.

It's quite an accusation to claim Steckel did this on purpose, and you should probably have a lot more to back it up with than just feels and alleged mind-reading.

This is not a Cooke & Savard situation where a player clearly sees another player carry the puck, heads in his direction, tucks his arms in, cuts him off, and clips his head. It's night and day. It's two different plutoverses. It's two different universes. It's probably even two different multiverses.

From what I've read from Steckel afterwards doesn't come across as the usual stuff you hear after actual cheap-shot incidents, but it comes across very genuine. He's not claiming he did anything wrong obviously – because he evidently did not, by any reasonable standards whatsoever – but he seems to be regretful anyways just because it happened. He said he felt bad for even seeing the replay because "it is violent" and he's "not a violent player".

You just don't hear players throwing actual cheap-shots say anything even remotely close to that. It's either silence, or attempts to excuse it as clean or something, or even admissions – as in the case with Bure on Churla, for instance – like "yeah, I did it purpose because they were trying to kill me out there".

I get it sucks seeing your favorite player out for a prolonged period of time, but perhaps the Penguins shouldn't have let Crosby finish that game? After he accidentally ran into an opposing player and injured himself. Perhaps they should have evaluated the injury better?

 

[Midnight Judges]

With all due respect to Ovi, if people actually think he's a better overall hockey player than Crosby then they're blind asf lol

I'm not a fan of either of their teams but any GM starting a franchise from scratch would easily pick Sid before Ovi.

Still though, what a shame this had to happen, we got robbed of seeing Crosby's peak after this.

I'll take the guy who has 53% more goals, more points, way more hardware, and is far more physical. But if you want the lesser player more power to ya.

 

[Midnight Judges]

Imagine actually thinking Sidney Crosby of all people plays a soft game... He's the best player of his generation even dealing with abuse 24/7 when he was younger. You cannot be soft and be as great as Sid is with all the shit he's taken

You unwittingly admitted Sid is soft in your own post.

Nobody ever complains about Ovechkin getting abused. He's usually the one doing the abusing. You know...because he isn't soft.

Anyway, I don't think Sid is super soft or anything, but he is obviously protected by NHL officials who will call anything on anyone who comes near him while they utterly ignore his testicle slashing and hand slashing even when they're looking right at him.

 

[txpd]

Kinda like in game 1 of the 2017 game between the pens and caps when Ovechkin ran Fleury during that scramble?

Not at all. Might have been illegal but goalies get run all the time. Whats odd about that? Crosschecking a goalie in the head is not the same thing. I bet ya I can put goalie gets run into youtube and get pages of video.....let me check. Hell. Let me check and see if there is even video of this thing you mention....

Edit 1: Ovechkin runs Fleury gets me nothing. You have that incident on video?
Edit 2: There is a full page returned to Run Goalie including some soccer stuff.

The Varly thing had 3 videos none counting the Crosby goal. Those are all seperate