"I gave it to Gretzky pretty good": When Don Cherry justified his harsh criticism of Sidney Crosby's actions by comparing him to Hockey Hall of Famers

Back in 2008, during the Stanley Cup playoffs, Sidney Crosby came under fire from NHL veteran coach Don Cherry. The Pittsburgh Penguins forward was criticized by Cherry for trying to draw unnecessary fouls. While defending his right to criticize Crosby, the analyst argued that he had doled out the same treatment to past legends like Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux.

Sidney Crosby led the Pittsburgh Penguins into the Stanley Cup Finals in 2008, where the Pens faced the Detroit Red Wings in the best-of-seven showcase series. But prior to that, throughout the playoffs, there was heavy scrutiny of Crosby for trying to make the most out of attempted hits by his opponents.

Don Cherry called him out during the post-season, which led to speculation of a feud between the two. On a June 2, 2008, edition of Hockey Night in Canada, Cherry cleared the air that he had no problems with Crosby and his analysis of his play was similar to what Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux had faced from him in the past.

"If you ask Gretzky, I gave it to Gretzky pretty good because he was flopping around," Cherry said. "I gave it to Mario, and I tried to tell Crosby what's going on."

"Mario was diving all over the place, and he embarrassed the referees and, after a while, they wouldn't call anything against him … that's all I tried to do with Crosby," the analyst added. "I tried to teach him that and not to yap at the referee, and he doesn't do it anymore. But it's too late."

Cherry argued that Crosby's tactics led to referees being more cautious while calling penalties on the forward. At the time, ahead of Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals, Crosby had received just four penalty calls on him in Pittsburgh's playoff run.

Don Cherry backed up his statement on Sidney Crosby a few years down the line

In 2012, the Penguins and Sidney Crosby got a lot of heat from around the league for their tactics. At the time, New York Rangers coach John Tortorella, Philadelphia Flyers assistant coach Craig Berube and NHL analyst Mike Milbury all took their shots at Crosby for his style of play and the way he behaved with the referees.

Don Cherry once again spoke about his thoughts on Crosby at this point and backed up his arguments from four years prior.

"A long time ago when Crosby was coming out, I tried to warn him 'quit diving, quit whining,' I was the worst guy in the world," Cherry said on an April 5, 2012, episode of Hockey Night in Canada. "All I was trying to do was help him. All I said was stop whining, stop diving and snapping the head back."

Despite all the criticism, Crosby would go on to become a fan favorite as the years rolled by. With his recent achievement of averaging at least a point per game for 20 seasons, he is certainly headed to the Hockey Hall of Fame.