Sidney Crosby was hit maliciously last night by Matt Niskanen (who will not be suspended by the NHL) and left the game with what has been diagnosed as a concussion. He will miss Game Four in Pittsburgh.
The way he was hit, according to Jason Smith, is a fair representation of the way Crosby's current NHL colleagues feel about him. The fact that he was hit in a dirty fashion, without fear of either serious repercussion or public shaming, shows that NHL players across the league respect Crosby's talent, but don't respect him personally. The hatred is apparent every single time a player gets the chance to lay into Crosby, and the lack of respect is obvious to see.
This differs in the way Wayne Gretzky was perceived by other players, and Jason Smith explains the difference he sees in the audio below. Listen right here.
You can hear The Jason Smith Show every weekday from 11-2 am est. on Fox Sports Radio.