The Columbus Blue Jackets fell 3-1 to the St. Louis Blues Saturday and were without centre Brandon Dubinsky, who was serving a one-game suspension for cross-checking Pittsburgh Penguins superstar Sidney Crosby in the neck Friday.
When asked about how Dubinsky’s absence impacted his team against the Blues, John Tortorella didn’t hesitate in taking a jab at the Penguins.
“We’re not going to whine here. Pittsburgh can whine,” the Blue Jackets coach told reporters. “Pittsburgh whines enough for the whole league, so there’s no room for any other team to whine. We just go about our business.”
The Blue Jackets and Penguins have developed an intense rivalry ever since Columbus was moved to the Eastern Conference and Dubinsky and Crosby have become the faces of that rivalry. It was evident when the teams met Friday.
“I’m not surprised. If I was going to get one of those shots it would probably be from him,” Crosby said of the cross-check.
Dubinsky insisted he didn’t intend to injure Crosby on the play.
“That’s not the type of player I am,” Dubinsky explained. “I’m going to play hard, but try and play fair and play in between the whistle. I think the stick rode up a little bit, but it wasn’t malicious or vicious or too hard in my opinion.”
The next meeting between the Blue Jackets and Penguins is Dec. 21 at CONSOL Energy Center in Pittsburgh. Get your popcorn ready.
