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Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCredit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
The story was full of praise and a glowing ESPN tribute to Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby. Still, a recent feature piece also unintentionally confirmed some internal friction that Pittsburgh Hockey Now first reported last season. <\/p>\n
In the story, ESPN featured Penguins defenseman prospect Owen Pickering<\/a> telling the story of his publicized haircut. Last season, it was one of the feel-good stories that Crosby took Pickering for a haircut at his favorite barber shop in Lawrenceville. <\/p>\n The then-19-year-old defenseman who was about to turn 20 was in the midst of his first NHL stint, playing 25 games from Nov. 16 through Jan. 23, all with a boyishly floppy hairdo. <\/p>\n \u201cMy hair was a contentious issue last year on the team,\u201d Pickering said. \u201cWhen I got called up, it wasn\u2019t really a hit. And Sid just goes, \u2018Hey, I booked us haircuts,\u2019 \u2026 Like, he doesn\u2019t have to take his time to spend with me, but he did, and it made me feel super welcome.\u201d<\/p>\n It was during that stretch that PHN also made a couple of stops in Wilkes-Barre\/Scranton <\/a>to analyze the additional Penguins prospects, who were also presumably on their way to the big club sooner than later, that we first heard that some were giving Pickering a hard time. <\/p>\n Register today to read this and more exclusive content PHN+: \u2013OR\u2013<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tTags: Owen Pickering<\/a> Pittsburgh Penguins<\/a> <\/p>\n
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