When Sidney Crosby made his feelings clear after getting 'kicked out' off game for chirping at refs

Sidney Crosby experienced something new in his 18-year NHL career (now 20) on February 11, 2023, a game misconduct. The incident occurred during the Pittsburgh Penguins' 6-0 loss to the Los Angeles Kings.

In the third period with 10 minutes and 14 seconds remaining, Crosby battled for position with Kings defenseman Mikey Anderson in front of the net. Anderson cross-checked Crosby, earning a minor penalty. As Anderson skated to the box, both players exchanged words and shoves.

Officials gave each player a 10-minute misconduct. However, Crosby’s penalty was upgraded to a game misconduct after he continued chirping at referee Garrett Rank.

In the video, Crosby can be seen saying:

"That’s F***ing bull****,” twice before the extra penalty was called.

Crosby had pursued Rank for nearly a minute before getting the next penalty.

"Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye" Kings fans chanted as Crosby left the ice.

Sidney Crosby later said he was shocked by the ejection and unsure why it happened.

"I don’t know (the reason behind my ejection)," Crosby said, via The Athletic. "The guy [Anderson] was saying something to me on the way to the box. (Following which) him and I had an exchange. The next thing I know, ...I got a 10. To be honest with you, I don’t know (why)."

"I could tell he was saying something (during the argument). I don’t know what he was saying, (because) We were pretty far from each other. So I got closer, (and)...I was shocked I was getting kicked out of the game."

Sidney Crosby further avoided getting more discipline

That night, Sidney Crosby’s 20 penalty minutes were the second-most of his career, one short of his record set in 2009. It was only the fifth time in his 1,352 NHL games that he had at least 10 penalty minutes.

01/03/2009 – vs Florida Panthers – 21 PIM - for fighting Brett McLean.
02/11/2023 – @ Los Angeles Kings – 20 PIM
10/21/2017 – @ Tampa Bay Lightning – 12 PIM
11/28/2014 – vs Carolina Hurricanes – 12 PIM
02/21/2019 – vs San Jose Sharks – 10 PIM

While clearly frustrated, Crosby chose to refrain from further comments and calmly walked inside the tunnel.

Penguins' former head coach Mike Sullivan said,

"No," about Crosby's game misconduct. "I don’t think Garrett (Rank) had any interest in giving us an explanation (for Crosby's ejection)."

The LA Kings went on to complete the shutout, while Sidney Crosby’s night ended earlier than expected.

About the author

Ankit is an NHL journalist at Sportskeeda with over 3 years of experience in the writing industry. He has expertise in sports, product, and travel content writing. His interest in ice hockey was piqued after watching Sidney Crosby play and he has been passionately following the game since then. Ankit admires Crosby’s personality and hockey IQ, and when he crossed the 1,500 points tally, Ankit was among the biggest fans to celebrate the occasion.

An Edmonton Oilers fan because of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, Ankit also admires the Pittsburgh Penguins due to Crosby and the Colorado Avalanche for Nathan MacKinnon. He is also a fan of Wayne Gretzky and Bobby Orr.

Holding a Bachelor’s degree in English Literature and Language, Ankit believes his education has helped him develop a knack for presenting information in a precise and compelling manner. He only sources information from credible avenues and trusted people from his network for his articles.

When he is not watching or writing about the NHL, Ankit loves listening to music and reading books.

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Edited by Chaitanya Prakash