Did Sidney Crosby embellish reaction to high stick? Referees say yes.
Philadelphia Flyers fans' boos turned to cheers after Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby was called for embellishment.
Philadelphia Flyers fans love to hate Sidney Crosby. And with the Pittsburgh Penguins captain in Philadelphia for a playoff game for the first time since 2018, they were prepared. They booed whenever Crosby touched the puck on Wednesday, April 22, and booed when he picked up his first point of the series (getting an assist on Evgeni Malkin's goal as the Penguins ended their power play drought ) for a 1-0 lead in the first period.
But the boos got louder at 18:47 of the first period. Crosby was lining up for a faceoff when Philadelphia's Garnet Hathaway caught him in the face with a high stick. Crosby dropped to the ice.
Hathaway high sticked Crosby before the draw, but Crosby was ALSO penalized for embellishment, we play 4 on 4.... pic. twitter.
com/QcsGi9wg7J ā B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) April 22, 2026 Hathaway made the diving gesture and yelled at Crosby before being led to the penalty box as fans booed. On-ice officials consulted and the Penguins star was eventually called for embellishment. The fans' boos turned to cheers.