The contact on that play was almost entirely Sidney Crosby's fault. He abruptly turned, face-first, with his head down, while not looking where he was going but instead puck-watching. No hockey coach at any level would ever teach a player to do that.
If this was some non-star player, there is little chance anyone is calling this dirty. David Steckel is not that type of player and his career demonstrated that for anyone who is familiar. David Steckel is not Matt Cooke - although Pens fans from that era LOVED Matt Cooke and defended him waaaaay beyond the point of reason.
From the Pens forum in 2013 - well after Cooke's dirty hits were undeniable:
Yes, I went there... Despite the negatives that came with him at times, Cooke could flat out play and was a huge boon on the PK. All the best in Minny to a guy that not everybody liked but everyone on these boards at least realized went all out night in and night out. Farewell Cooke...
forums.hfboards.com
So I'm inclined to think this is selective emotion-driven reasoning more so than sober thinking.