Crosby gets rocked by an elbow to the head.

There is no doubt a segment of the National Hockey League's fan base that will mock Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby for his reaction on this play but it is quite clear that this was a blatant cheap shot.

On Saturday night Crosby and his Pittsburgh Penguins were taking on the Ottawa Senators at the Canadian Tire Center and things got pretty rough between 2 of the top stars out on the ice for each respective team. There was no penalty called on this play and there has been very little coverage so I have to wonder if the National Hockey League's Department of Player Safety will even take a look at this, although I have no doubt that fans in Pittsburgh are hoping that they will do just that. 

Crosby was engaged in a race or a battle along the boards for the puck with Ottawa Senators center Colin White and although White appeared to have clearly won this battle in particular that was not enough for him. As the two men circled around the boards and came to a stop, White cocked back his right elbow and drove it back and upwards into the head and face of the Penguins superstar forward. Now to White's credit he does a really good job of masking the elbow as someone simply swinging his arms as he is making a stride with his skate, but given how picture perfect this elbow is I have a very hard time giving him the benefit of the doubt. 

As you would expect Crosby sold the elbow as best as he could but he got no call on the play, and I have little doubt that he had to try very hard to sell it because this one made significant contact with his face when it struck him. That being said there's also little doubt that Crosby added some histrionics to the whole incident and perhaps that is why the NHL officials on the ice chose not to make a call on this play. 

Either way it is a clear blow to the head, and to the head of a star player no less, so perhaps the NHL will review this at a later date.

[pub]