The late Barclay Plager, noted St. Louis villain and early Penguins tormentor once said, “It’s not who wins the fight that’s important, it’s being willing to fight. If you get challenged and renege, everyone wants to take a shot at you.”
He didn’t know it at the time. But “Barc the Spark” could’ve been addressing our present-day Pens. The ones who were bullied all over the Nationwide Arena ice last night en route to a painful 2-1 overtime loss at the hands of the bruising Columbus Blue Jackets.
The sight of Sidney Crosby sprawled on the ice after absorbing a brutal Brandon Dubinsky crosscheck to the neck sickened me.