Penguins’ Sidney Crosby discusses Connor McDavid's 3-game suspension for cross-checking Conor Garland

Connor McDavid was suspended by the NHL for three games for cross-checking Conor Garland of the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday. After being held down on the ice for too long, he hit Garland in the face.

Sidney Crosby said he "saw the cross-check," per the Athletic. He added that he "couldn’t tell if it was his glove or his stick that hit him in the face.” Ultimately, it yielded the suspension, but it's not something that bothers the Pittsburgh Penguins star too much. He said:

“It’s hard to say how bad it was from the angle that was available. You’re splitting hairs.”

This is something new to McDavid. He's never been given a fighting major. Neither has Crosby, who has only dropped the gloves 10 times in his 20-year career. The NHL veteran went on:

“It’s like anything. Sometimes your emotions get the best of you. It’s a physical sport. The one time you see that, you probably didn’t see there nine hits that Connor took. Those ones are the ones that never make the highlights. When you retaliate, you make the highlights.”

Crosby added that it doesn't matter who it is, hockey is an emotional game. He said fights are going to happen sometimes, and he's certain the Edmonton Oilers star wouldn't have antagonized Garland in "calmer or cooler circumstances." He just believes that's the sport they play.

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Oilers coach reflects on Connor McDavid incident

Kris Knoblauch will have to learn how to navigate life without his star player. Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid will be out of the lineup for three games after a suspension.

Connor McDavid has been suspended for three games (Imagn)

That's disappointing, but Knoblauch said, via ESPN, that it's not a surprising reaction given what had just happened to McDavid:

"Connor gets frustrated and he gets his stick up. He's frustrated because we're down one goal and the best player in the league is getting held for 15 seconds. There's frustration that [it's] allowed to happen and his stick got up."

The NHL called McDavid's retaliation aggressive, and that's why it decided to slap him with the longest suspension of his career so far. He has had a one-game suspension before for a check to the head in 2019.