NHL: Ottawa Senators at Pittsburgh Penguins - Source: Imagn — Sidney Crosby called out P.K. Subban's claims false back in 2017 (Credits: IMAGN)

"He likes the attention" When Sidney Crosby bluntly shut down P.K. Subban's alleged bad breath remark during Stanley Cup Final

Modified Mar 31, 2025 13:09 GMT

During the 2017 Stanley Cup Final, Sidney Crosby and P.K. Subban had a fiery verbal exchange in Game 3. The incident caught media attention after Subban later said that Crosby had insulted his breath.

During the exchange, Subban repeatedly told Crosby, "Hey, f**k you." Crosby bluntly responded, "Get the f**k out of here." The exchange ended with Crosby calling Subban a "f**king idiot."

After the game, Subban told reporters that Crosby made fun of his breath.

"Usually when guys chirp after the game or during the game, it’s usually about your game or something personal. He went on to tell me that my breath smelled bad, and I really don’t understand why, because I use Listerine before the game. I thought my breath smelled great. But at the end of the day, we’re just going to take the win and move on," Subban said.

Crosby publicly addressed the bad breath claim by P.K. Subban to the media.

"Yeah, he made that up. I didn't say that," Crosby told reporters in 2017.

The rivalry between Crosby and Subban was already intense. Crosby referred to the tactics as something to get under his skin and claimed that it was "part of it."

"He likes the attention and things like that," Crosby mentioned. "If he wants to make things up, what can I do?"

Later, Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins won the Stanley Cup finals series with two back-to-back shutout games in games five and six.

Sidney Crosby earns more respect at 4 Nations Face-Off

Fast forward to 2025, Sidney Crosby has impressed many young players at the 4 Nations Face-Off. Some had never played with him before. They admired his work ethic, leadership, and positive attitude.

NHL insider Elliotte Friedman shared this on the 32 Thoughts podcast. Winnipeg Jets’ Josh Morrissey said Crosby created a "new legion of fanboys" among teammates.

"And he (Morrissey) said what it created was a whole new legion of Crosby fanboys among players. Like, obviously, they saw him, and they respect him, but the room saw him on a day-to-day basis." Friedman said.

Crosby helped Canada win the tournament with five points in four games. He played a key role in Canada’s 3-2 final win over the USA.

Friedman called Crosby’s 20-year career “unbelievable.” He recently became the first NHL player to average a point per game for 20 straight seasons, surpassing Wayne Gretzky.

About the author

Ankit is an NHL journalist at Sportskeeda with over 3 years of experience in the writing industry. He has expertise in sports, product, and travel content writing. His interest in ice hockey was piqued after watching Sidney Crosby play and he has been passionately following the game since then. Ankit admires Crosby’s personality and hockey IQ, and when he crossed the 1,500 points tally, Ankit was among the biggest fans to celebrate the occasion.

An Edmonton Oilers fan because of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, Ankit also admires the Pittsburgh Penguins due to Crosby and the Colorado Avalanche for Nathan MacKinnon. He is also a fan of Wayne Gretzky and Bobby Orr.

Holding a Bachelor’s degree in English Literature and Language, Ankit believes his education has helped him develop a knack for presenting information in a precise and compelling manner. He only sources information from credible avenues and trusted people from his network for his articles.

When he is not watching or writing about the NHL, Ankit loves listening to music and reading books.

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