In Pittsburgh, Rob Rossi reports he was the target last night of an "obscenity-laced diatribe" from Penguins GM Jim Rutherford following the team's Game 3 loss to the Rangers. While walking with reporters to the dressing room, Rutherford said repeatedly, "Thanks for your support," and, "You're a (expletive) jerk." Rossi: "My role [is] as Trib Total Media's lead sports columnist. My role is to provide opinion." Rutherford responded, "Well, your opinion is (expletive)." Rossi admits he has been a "frequent critic" of Rutherford since his hiring last June (PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW, 4/21).
STAY CLASSY: In DC, Scott Allen noted Capitals Owner Ted Leonsis yesterday vowed in a blog post that the Verizon Center crowd “will be louder" than that at Nassau Coliseum. Leonsis also said the Capitals' home crowd will be "well behaved and classy." Allen noted the comments were in response to the reports that a group of Capitals fans who attended Sunday’s Game 3 on Long Island "were subjected to racist and homophobic taunts, as well as threats of physical violence." Leonsis suggested that the group he was with on Sunday "experienced some level of harassment firsthand." Leonsis wrote, "Our ownership group had a 'moment' at the game too; nothing too dramatic, and Islander’s security for our group was well handled and did a great job" (WASHINGTONPOST.com, 4/20). Also in DC, Bieler & Steinberg noted the group of harassed Capitals fans also were on the receiving end of "beer showers, and parking lot vandalism" (WASHINGTONPOST.com, 4/20).
MISSED SHOT: SPORTSNET.ca's Jeff Blair wrote likely No. 1 overall NHL draft pick Connor McDavid would have been of "maximum marketing value and would have had the most immediate positive impact" with the Maple Leafs. Blair: "There is a softening in this marketplace that I’m not certain will withstand a long rebuild without a transformative figure like McDavid." The Maple Leafs "have bankrolled the NHL for a long time." They were "printing money while other Canadian franchises were on financial life-support, or wringing their hands over weak Canadian currency." It would have been "nice to get a McBone thrown in their direction" (SPORTSNET.ca, 4/20).
