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Sidney Crosby abused by Senators, including water bottle shower

Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Final was not the finest few hours for NHL officiating.

There were blown calls. There were missed calls. There were ignored calls. (There was also a goal by the Pittsburgh Penguins that was overturned, a controversial overruling by the NHL war room.)

There was also a cavalcade of abuse suffered by Penguins star Sidney Crosby at the hands of the Ottawa Senators.

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This is nothing new for Crosby, being that it’s an NHL playoff game and opposing teams celebrate by treating him like a piñata. But when MIKE MILBURY thinks the opposing team went too far in their physical mistreatment of the Pittsburgh Penguins star? Well, that’s some abuse.

Here’s a look:

Included in that montage was one of the playoffs’ most absurd moments, as Mike Hoffman of the Senators sends a stream of water at Crosby as Marc Methot pokes him. (Not with his finger, but with his stick, because … well, you know.)

The NHL is infamous for not disciplining players that take liberties with Crosby, except when it involves the scourge of water bottle spraying, as we saw with Henrik Lundqvist in 2014. So expect a fine, we guess. Who knows? Asking for consistency from Colin Campbell is like asking for email decorum from Colin Campbell.

The Senators were given one penalty against Crosby in Game 6: a holding call by Methot in the second period. But that was it.

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Crosby said the nastiness in the series is about what you expect in a seven-game affair.

“It probably escalates with every game as teams get to know each other. But I wouldn’t say it was anything out of the ordinary,” he said after the Game 6 loss.

Look, we can debate all day whether there should be a different standard for star offensive players who get abused all game. Some people say they need better protection from the officials, and others aren’t down with that double standard.

But let’s all agree on one thing, shall we? That Sidney Crosby doesn’t get star treatment from the officials or from the League office. That much was evident in Game 6.

Greg Wyshynski is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or find him on Twitter. His book, TAKE YOUR EYE OFF THE PUCK, is available on Amazon and wherever books are sold.

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