Sidney Crosby and P.K. Subban exchanged words during the Penguins' 5-1 loss Saturday in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup final at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn.
As the Predators defenseman tells it, most of them were about oral hygiene.
"Usually when guys chirp after a game or during a game, it's usually about your game or something personal," Subban told reporters after the game. "But he went on to tell me that my breath smelled bad. I really don't understand why, because I used Listerine before the game. I thought my breath smelled great. At the end of the day, we're just gonna take the win and move on."
This, apparently, really stuck in Subban's craw, as he made a similar comment to NBC Sports' Pierre McGuire before leaving the ice.
Maybe this is Subban's way of letting Crosby know his trash talk is weak. Maybe he's hamming it up for the cameras and microphones, as he's known for injecting some spice into postgame interview sessions that typically are pretty dull.
Maybe he feels strongly about the brand of mouthwash he uses. Maybe it's a little bit of all of those things.
What's clear is Subban is feeling good after limiting the Penguins captain to just one shot and delivering on his guarantee that his team would win Game 3. If Crosby and the Penguins want him to keep his mouth shut _ for fear of halitosis or trash talk _ the best way to do that would probably be to score more goals.
Game 4 is Monday back at Bridgestone Arena. The Penguins lead the series, two games to one.
We'll see if Crosby comes armed with some mints.
