A day after being criticized by Detroit Red Wings forward Kris Draper for not shaking hands with Nicklas Lidstrom after Game 7, Sidney Crosby gave his side of the story.
"My intentions were to shake hands," Crosby told the Pittsburgh Post Gazette. "That we didn't wasn't me trying to avoid it.
"That's the last thing I'd want to do. By no means was I trying to avoid shaking the other team's hands.
"I think it's important to do that."
Crosby went on to explain to the Post Gazette that after celebrating for "three or four minutes" he joined the handshake line, which at that time only had "seven to 10" Red Wings left, with "five or six" that were leaving the ice.
Crosby also suggested that perhaps Lidstrom did not wait that long before the leaving the ice, recalling that, "I didn't feel like waiting around, either" when the Penguins lost the Stanley Cup to the Red Wings in 2008.
Kris Draper brought the handshake issue to light yesterday, when he called out Crosby to an Associated Press reporter.
"Nick was waiting and waiting, and Crosby didn't come over to shake his hand," Draper said. "That's ridiculous, especially as their captain, and make sure you write that I said that!"