One of the more famous stories of the 2017 Stanley Cup run was Penguins against Capitals. At the center of everything, as usual, was Sidney Crosby. Crosby scored 2 goals in Game 1, then added 2 assists in Game 2 as Pittsburgh jumped out to a 2-0 series lead over Washington.
Then, Game 3 happened. Alex Ovechkin’s stick bonked off the back of Crosby’s head, then as he was sliding down, Matt Niskanen’s stick jammed into his face. Crosby would leave the game concussed and miss Game 4. The league would opt not to discipline Niskanen supplementally.
It was a traumatic, emotional and frenzied time.