Stuart Skinner, the Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender, made waves in a post-game interview Monday when he heaped praise on forward Anthony Mantha, but in a way that also landed as a subtle shot at his former team, the Edmonton Oilers.
The Penguins took on the New York Islanders on Monday night and won by a score of 8-3. Mantha had two goals and an assist, and was a plus +4.
“Honestly, I’ve been to two straight Stanley Cup Finals, and if we had a player half as good as Anthony Mantha on those teams, I’d be wearing two rings right now,” Skinner said.
The remark quickly went viral among Penguins fans, and it’s likely to catch significant attention from Oilers fans before long. Skinner is known for his friendly demeanor and how much he respected his time as an Oiler. These comments were him veering off that path. While he was likely just trying to compliment a teammate, the fact that he said what he said about Mantha after playing for years with Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl has to be seen as a criticism.
Even if it wasn’t, plenty of Oilers fans will take it that way.
Mantha has played well this season, but there is no confusing his impact on an NHL roster versus the impact McDavid and Draisaitl have. Skinner’s comment is a stingingly accurate reminder of how much losing in the finals hurts.
Oilers fans didn’t take kindly to Skinner’s comments. Captain Jack wrote, “Honestly, he must be right no one had a better view of those runs than him.” He accompanied his comments with a photo of Skinner sitting on the bench as the backup.
Another fan wrote, “I’ve had nothing but respect for Stu even when he got traded to Pittsburgh, but after reading this… nah man. that ain’t it. Both teams he was on, especially the one two years ago, were more than good enough to win. Florida *and their goaltending* was just slightly better.”
“Shots fired,” wrote another fan.
Next: NHL Trade Talk Recap: Treliving Fired, Oilers Behind Cassidy Downfall, and Buium News
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