Sullivan on Crosby slash: 'I see Sid go through that on a nightly basis'

The slash heard 'round the hockey world continues to make headlines.

And, unsurprisingly, Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan is standing by his guy, his captain, his best player, Sidney Crosby, after No. 87 knocked Ottawa defenseman Marc Methot out of the Senators' lineup for the foreseeable future thanks to a wicked slash that cost Methot part of his finger.

"I see Sid go through that on a nightly basis, he plays through it," Sullivan said Friday evening, according to the Penguins' website.

NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said earlier Friday that Crosby won't be disciplined, a decision that obviously doesn't sit well with some people - especially Senators owner Eugene Melnyk.

"We all know who he is, and the guy's just a whiner beyond belief and (if) you do this kind of stuff, I don't care who you are in the league, I don't care if you're the No. 1 player in the league," Melnyk said, not holding anything back. "You should sit out a long time for this kind of crap."

As one of the top players in the league, Crosby's always got a target on his back, and he certainly takes his fair share of abuse. He took a high stick Tuesday night in Buffalo and lost a couple of teeth, but that's a far cry from what happened to Methot, as the Senators now face a future without a defenseman who plays almost 20 minutes a night.

In other words, get used to conversations about preferential treatment for superstars. They're not going anywhere.