Senators Owner Eugene Melnyk Calls Sidney Crosby 'A Whiner Beyond Belief'

Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melnyk believes Pittsburgh Penguins superstar Sidney Crosby, whom he called a "whiner," should have received a harsh punishment for the slash on Sens defenseman Marc Methot during Thursday night's game.

On Friday, Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Citizen passed along comments from Melnyk, who didn't hold back his feelings about the NHL's best player.

"Sometimes they miss these things. I hope this guy, and we all know who he is, the guy is a just a whiner beyond belief," he said. "You do this kind of stuff and I don't care who you are in the league, I don't care if you're the No. 1 player in the league, you should sit out a long time for this kind of crap. I really do."

Methot's fingertip was chopped off and his entire finger bloodied as part of the gruesome injury, which didn't draw a penalty on Crosby.

Melnyk added: "The guy lost the top of his finger? Did you see it? It's ugly. I wouldn't want to show that to anybody under the age of 25." 

Pierre LeBrun‏ of ESPN.com reported the league isn't going to look into the incident for potential supplemental discipline either.

Senators coach Guy Boucher confirmed Methot's finger is "destroyed. It's shattered, and he's out for weeks," according to ESPN.com. The report included postgame comments from Crosby, who said it wasn't an intentional act.

"I was just trying to get his stick, and I think I caught his finger, judging by his reaction and their reaction," he said. "I've gotten those before. They don't feel good."

It marked the second straight game Crosby was involved in a controversial incident. On Tuesday, he was caught on camera spearing the groin of Buffalo Sabres center Ryan O'Reilly from behind during the Pens' 3-1 victory over Buffalo at the First Niagara Center.

Sabres defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen received a three-game suspension for a separate play during the same game. Buffalo goaltender Robin Lehner said Friday "certain teams in the league get the benefit of the doubt," per Heather Prusak of WGRZ:

Crosby, as the face of the NHL, is always going to receive more leeway.

That said, the league's decision to look the other way after two recent incidents is a dangerous precedent to set ahead of the more physical playoffs.