Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
Wednesday night’s playoff showdown between the Flyers and the Penguins featured a parade of players getting sent to the penalty box. That included Sidney Crosby, who couldn’t help but laugh after a Philly fan shamed him for acting like he was mortally wounded on a high-sticking call that led to him getting hit with the first embellishment penalty of his career.
It seemed like NHL fans were going to be in for a treat when we learned the Flyers and the Penguins would be meeting in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2018, and the most recent edition of the rivalry known as the “Battle of Pennsylvania” has largely delivered.
There was little doubt that there was going to be some very physical play between the two squads that share an incredibly mutual disdain, and that has been the case over the first three games of the series.
Philadelphia headed into Wednesday night with a 2-0 lead in the series and all but put things away with a 5-2 win that gave them the chance to punch their ticket to the next round on Saturday. It was a very spirited contest where 50 penalty minutes were handed out, almost half of which stemmed from the massive scrum that led to 11 guys being sent to the penalty box in the second period.
Somehow, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh managed to end up with 11 skaters in the penalty box… out of the 10 skaters on the ice. pic.twitter.com/89vVQTsbbw
— nucko (@nucksmemes) April 23, 2026
Sidney Crosby also spent a couple of minutes in the sin bin during the first period for channeling his inner soccer player after getting nicked with a stick, which led to an amazing interaction with a Flyers fan who put him in his place.
A Flyers fan made Sidney Crosby crack up after shaming him over his first embellishment call
Crosby could be just one game away from wrapping up his 21st season in the NHL, and while he’s garnered plenty of criticism for diving and whining to the refs in an attempt to draw a penalty, he’d never been called for embellishment heading into Wednesday.
However, that changed toward the end of the first period, as Garnet Hathaway was called for a high stick after inadvertently clipping the Penguins captain while gearing up for a faceoff.
He gave the referees an earful while being escorted to the penalty box, and Crosby ultimately joined him after the officials decided his decision to act like he’d been shot in the head was worthy of an embellishment call.
He and everyone else at the Wells Fargo Center got the chance to take a glance at the replay of the incident in question once he arrived in the box, including the Flyers fan who made him smirk after flashing him a knowing look upon review.
— Devon (@DevonS93) April 22, 2026
Penguins coach Dan Muse issued an equally laughable defense when he asserted “Sid doesn’t embellish” after the game, but it seems like Crosby knew exactly what he was doing.