Only Sidney Crosby knows whether or not he’s been diving in order to get more calls as has been suggested by certain members of the New York Rangers this series.
In my book he fights through enough physical play that I’m not willing to classify him as a flopper, even if he does embellish every once in awhile.
Perhaps the real issue is whether Crosby receives preferential treatment from officials because he is one of the NHL’s most prominent talents. He should, and so should the rest of the best players in the league. It not only happens in every other sport, but in most other jobs; certain athletes deserve more leeway given how much they benefit the sport as a whole. I’m not suggesting that every time an opponent goes near Crosby that the Penguins should receive a power play. But if it’s a 50/50 call, give the star players the benefit of the doubt.
If the league doesn’t operate that way, there’s a better chance of the top players getting injured given how much extra attention they receive from the opposition.
>> The CFL proved that it will not tolerate clubs violating the league’s salary cap by stripping the Montreal Alouettes of a first-round pick in tomorrow’s Canadian draft.
The Als were also fined nearly $117,000 after they were found to have exceeded the ceiling on the pay scale by more than $100,000 following off-season audits of each of the eight organizations.
The B.C. Lions are one of three clubs that move up a spot in the draft as a result.
The defending champs from Saskatchewan were also over last year’s cap, but the Roughriders only received a fine since they overpaid by about $76,000 and draft picks are not forfeited until a team goes over $100,000.
Kudos to commissioner Mark Cohon and company for handing out the discipline in a timely manner. Now if they would only get around to dealing with the Lions’ Jason Jimenez and his suspension appeal from last November, I could really begin to applaud.
Want to weigh in? E-mail me at scott.rintoul@metronews.ca.
