As we continue to watch the NHL playoffs we see the players just getting better. Players like Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin and Conner McDavid have only made the playoffs more exciting and the game has changed. Each year the players get bigger…..faster….and stronger. The playoff games are the hardest fought games of the season and meant to grab onto the one and only Stanley Cup.

The Pittsburgh Penguins are currently battling their way to beat the Washington Capitals, however this series has been different. We continue to watch the Capitals play an almost dirty style of play on the ice. Not only does Washington want to win, but it has increasingly become clearer they are trying to take Sidney Crosby out of the game. Well, they have in fact most recently put Sidney in a position where he can’t play due to sustaining a head injury. This is not the first concussion Sidney has suffered through his playing career, however could this be the most serious? Repeated hits to the head for any player can change the longevity of their career and affect long term health. CTE is a concern for any athlete who has suffered repeated head injuries.

The bigger question is when Sid is out of the game does it diminish the game? Do less people watch the game……do people obsess about Sidney coming back…..and how does this affect other players style of the game? We all know it is a rough game, however where do we draw the line from a rough game to taking out key players. In my opinion, Crosby had a bounty on him from the Capitals. They were instructed by their coaching staff to do whatever it took to get this key player out of the game. There has been quite some talk about the severity of the hit to Crosby and how this affects the series.

The game does get diminished when you take the best players in the game. Additionally, Sidney Crosby is beyond a player and more of an example. He has taken the time to do his best on and off the ice. The game does change when you

take players off the ice like Sidney who contribute so much for the game. We can only hope the game protects the players who contribute the most off the ice and society.