The Dark Side: A List of the Most Hated Opposing Players

Over the years, Penguins players have ran into some pretty nasty opponents. Whether that player took a cheap shot, slash, or fought with a Penguins player, they have never been forgiven by the Penguins fanbase. This is a list of some of the most hated Penguins players, which is in no particular order.

Marc Staal- This is in pretty recent memory, as Staal cemented his place on this list just last season. In round one of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, both the Penguins and Rangers jockeyed for a place in the semi-finals. While the Rangers went on to win the series, much of the dislike for Staal is because of how he guarded Sidney Crosby. Staal made multiple cheap shots to the back of Sidney Crosby’s head without any penalties being called, which in turn limited Crosby’s playing ability as Crosby was only able to grab two goals and four points in the five game series. The Penguins and Rangers are facing off once again this year, except Crosby has found a way to generate much more offense. Fans are still livid with Staal and hope to receive redemption for the past two years.

Brandon Dubinsky- Disliked for mostly the same reason as Staal, Dubinsky can be labeled as a Crosby killer. When the Penguins and Blue Jackets face off, Dubinsky's main role has always been to get under Sidney's skin. Whether he's chirping at Crosby, shutting him down offensively, or whacking and hacking at Sid, Dubinsky has been able to solidify himself as a pest. Crosby hates him and has had several scrums with him over the past couple years. With much of Dubinsky's antics going unnoticed by referees, this just adds fuel to the fire for fans to hate him.

Scott Hartnell- What can we say about this guy. He played for the Flyers. If playing for the Flyers is on your resume than Penguins fans already hate you. It’s just our culture. Scott Hartnell, though, took it to another level. During the 2012 season and playoffs, Hartnell was a force to be reckoned with. Whether it was his overtime goal with two seconds left or his Hulk Hogan impersonation, Penguins fans already called for his head. Then came the playoffs. Hartnell engaged in scrums with multiple Penguins players, notably with Craig Adams. Hartnell is easy to hate on and with Hartnell now playing for the Blue Jackets, he is still able to find ways to make Penguins fans hate him even more.

Alex Ovechkin- Crosby vs Ovechkin. It’s one of the greatest player rivalries in all of sports. Who is better, who has more cups, more MVP awards, more gold medals… The Penguins and Capitals rivalry stems almost directly from these two players and without these two on the ice, games between the two clubs just aren’t as entertaining. Where many fans grow to hate Ovechkin is by his skill and his dirtiness. Ovechkin has a dirty aspect to his game. Whether it was his knee collision with Sergei Gonchar, his leaping hit on Zbynek Michalek, or his hit this year on Brian Dumoulin, Ovechkin has always found a way to injure Penguins players. While these antics upset Ovechkin, many fans hate him because, well, he is a good player. He has led the league in goals for four years in a row now and is one of the league's best. The Penguins have been successful recently in containing the Russian forward but much of the hate for Ovechkin is because of his success. Yes Crosby has a cup and Ovechkin doesn’t. Penguins fans want Crosby to be known as the best in the world, not the “Great Eight” and that is the cause of all of the hate for Ovechkin.

David Steckel- Steckel was generally a nice guy. After enjoying a 12 year NHL career, he now plays overseas in the DEL. The reason he makes this list, though, was for his incident with Sidney Crosby. We all know what happened. During the 2011 NHL Winter Classic between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Washington Capitals, David Steckel accidentally collided with Sidney Crosby. Crosby was shaken up after the play and left for the locker room. The Penguins lost the game, but lost much more. After taking a hit from Victor Hedman in the next game, Crosby was sidelined for the rest of the season and missed much of the next. Crosby wouldn’t return to the team full time until the 2013 playoffs were almost ready to begin. While Steckel did try to apologize to Crosby and was humble of the situation, Crosby was playing his best hockey ever. Crosby had 66 points in only 41 games, some comparing his play at the time to Wayne Gretzky. Steckel was generally a nice guy, but fans will never forgive him for the hit.

Jaromir Jagr- The longtime Penguin, Jaromir Jagr is a Penguins legend. Having won two Stanley Cups with the team as well as multiple other awards, Jagr will be known as one of the greatest players to ever don a Penguins jersey. He was an icon to Pittsburgh and for a while was the face of the team. That being said, he has had multiple conflicts with the team. After demanding a trade from Pittsburgh back in 2001, fans already began to grow sour towards Jagr. This grew worse in 2012 when Jagr stated intentions of returning to Pittsburgh, but instead opted to join the rival Philadelphia Flyers for more money instead. The Penguins faced the Flyers in the playoffs that next season, with Jagr and the Flyers defeating the Penguins in six games. Many fans are still hoping to see Jagr in black and gold for one more cup run, but unless that happens, he will remain to be hated by many Penguins fans.

Marian Hossa- Acquired in a blockbuster deal during the 2008 Trade Deadline, Marian Hossa was an elite winger at the time. Paired with Sidney Crosby, the Penguins were unstoppable. The team made a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals where they lost to the Detroit Red Wings. Though heartbroken, the team was still built for success with an elite group of players. Then came free agency. The Penguins acquired Hossa in the final year of his contract, though, and the Penguins offered him a contract of up to $7 million annually. After declining the Penguins offer, Hossa decided to sign with the team that just beat the Penguins for the Stanley Cup, the Detroit Red Wings. Justice was served as the Penguins defeated Detroit to win the Stanley Cup the next year as Hossa left the Red Wings in free agency. Now a three time champion with Chicago, many fans have cooled their hate for Hossa, though they will never forgive him.