It all appeared to be unraveling when Sidney Crosby took a slash across the hands from Alex Ovechkin in a tie game in the third period, resulting in him taking his stick to the walls that line the tunnel, and hack off paint with every swing.
But after recovering feeling in his hand, returning to the ice, and watching Patric Hornqvist lift the Pittsburgh Penguins to a Game 4 win and series stranglehold over the Washington Capitals, the captain was able to see the humor in his off-ice explosion.
"I was a little scared there for a little bit," he laughed in an interview with CBC's Scott Oake. "It didn't feel too good."
He explained that wasn't all frustration at the time; he was genuinely worried that his counterpart's slash had done a little damage.
"When it initially happened I didn't think it was good," he said, according to Jonas Siegel of the Canadian Press. "I didn't know if I was going to be coming back or not."
He was even willing to let Ovechkin's stick work slide.
"I don't think there was any intention there. He was trying to clear it. I'm trying to keep the puck in. He's trying to make sure that I don't. He caught me there but that's part of it."
An ice bag and a 3-1 series lead will do.
