NEW YORK – Sidney Crosby has heard his share of trash talk over the years. This might be the first time it came from a professional football player.
The Pittsburgh Penguins captain chuckled Wednesday when asked about Nick Mangold’s taunts from a night earlier at Madison Square Garden.
Mangold – a rabid Rangers fan and centre for the NFL’s New York Jets – got into it with Penguins assistant coach Rick Tocchet from his front-row seat before the start of the third period on Tuesday.
“I saw him lean over once,” said Crosby. “I didn’t know if it was Toch or if it was one of the trainers or something.”
He didn’t have any issue with an athlete from another sport – who presumably has taken plenty of verbal abuse himself on the field – trying to mix it up with the Penguins.
“If he comes to the game and wants to do that, he’s got his ticket,” said Crosby. “He can do what he wants. It’s not typically what you see, but at the same time I don’t have a problem with it. I think it’s all part of the intensity of games.
“If he’s that into it, I don’t see a big problem.”
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It’s the second time this season Mangold has been animated during a game here, banging on the glass behind the Dallas Stars bench on Jan. 5.
The 32-year-old attended Game 3 of the Penguins-Rangers series along with free-agent quarterback Ryan Fitzgerald and Jets wide receiver Eric Decker. They were shown on the scoreboard during a break in the first period.
Mangold is a distinctive figure with long blonde hair and a thick beard, but he didn’t leave a lasting impression on Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan.
“I really don’t pay attention to it, to be honest with you,” said Sullivan. “Our focus is on the hockey game, not what’s going on outside the glass. We really didn’t pay much attention to it.
“It’s important for us – the priority for us – is to make sure that we focus on the task at hand.”
There was no word on if Mangold would be back for Game 4 on Thursday.
