Sutton comes off like a fifth-grader in that. Of course, I can totally see why — he’s just lost a big game and was booed throughout it and is worried about a suspension, so he’s rattled. Then, a smarmy Pittsburgh reporter decides to tell him he hit Leopold with his elbow (elbow was tucked in, so it’s not an elbow) and the reporter claims that there’s video evidence. It’s like a bad cop telling the accused that his friend already confessed to the whole thing so they’ve got him. Sutton doesn’t think he hit him with the elbow, but the play happens so fast that he probably doesn’t know, so he tries to sidestep the question and comes up with a great internet meme.

Leopold had his head down and Sutton is 6’6, so it was physically impossible for Sutton not to hit him with an elbow. That said, Sutton clearly had his elbow tucked in.

The reality of this situation was that Sutton totally did get penalized. Obviously the refs felt he should pay a penance for his hit, given the 2 very borderline calls against him later in the game. Talk about even up bullshit. The fact Crosby got away with a cross check just showed how how the refs play favourites.

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/2010/04/17/sutton_mendes/

It seemed at first like that was the start and end of the interview, but Ian Mendes says that there was more to it, and that Sutton wasn’t surly until he was questioned (if you want to call it that) by Fittipaldo.

It was a dirty hit by Sutton, But it was on a Penguin, so I don’t care.

For all the flack we’ve given the Pittsburgh reporter, he did a pretty fair write-up of it after the fact:

Replays of the hit show Sutton’s elbow and/or arm striking Leopold’s head, but his arm was tucked to his body before the blow was struck and it did not appear that he intentionally tried to hurt Leopold.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10107/1051338-100.stm

I cannot stand reporters. I bet if that sorry excuse for a beat writer were a player who had to suit up against Sutton he wouldn’t have the gall to accuse him to his face of being a dirty hitter. This reminds me a lot of Scott Stevens. Only a handful of coaches or players ever had the nerve to call Stevens out for his hits, but the media never felt the same compunction despite the fact Stevens probably could have squashed each and every one of them like a bug at will.

That has to be the funniest thing I’ve ever seen