More from Chiclets: Crosby Story from MacKinnon, Biz Nasty on Dinner

Last week, the hockey world got what it needed and what some fans in Philadelphia have always wanted. Sidney Crosby was in stitches. Figuratively, of course. We took a break from trades, RFAs and wondering about the CBA to watch Crosby play golf with a couple of former teammates who host the no-holds-barred Spittin’ Chiclets podcast and Cole Harbour, NS training buddy Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche.

Spittin Chiclets is hosted by the colorful Paul Bissonnette and Ryan Whitney, who both played for the Penguins in 2008. Whitney was famously traded for Chris Kunitz that season as the Penguins won the Stanley Cup. Now, the pair has one of the most listened to podcasts in sports. It’s like a hockey locker room come to life, in all of its splendor.

For a few moments last week, Crosby was away from hockey and not shown as the consumed winner who plays every shift at full speed. Crosby couldn’t keep a straight face with Bissonnette’s antics. He even lost the golf match on a course in Nova Scotia with MacKinnon as his partner to a potentially sandbagging Bissonnette (known as Biz Nasty on social media) and Whitney. Since Crosby and MacKinnon lost, dinner was on them.

Courtesy of Barstool Sports PR, Pittsburgh Hockey Now has a little bit of inside dirt on the aftermath, too.

“The dinner was great, the service was awesome and most importantly thanks to Sidney Crosby who paid for the entire meal for all of us,” Bissonnette told PHN via Barstool’s PR.

However, our query if Bissonnette and Whitney tried to put a dent in Crosby’s wallet was unanswered, at least on the record. We’ll just assume the boys from Spittin Chiclets podcast treated Crosby and MacKinnon like it was a traditional hockey rookie dinner.

Barstool also told PHN, there will be a rematch but the date and time are being held in secret (or no one knows yet, but it was too much fun and a sequel is needed). Bissonnette has decided to change his handicap, but…he has no idea to what. Also, listeners of the Spittin’ Chiclets podcast will get to decide “Biz Nasty’s” fate for the sandbag. We shudder to think about what punishments they may choose, but one option on the table is to pay for dinner after the rematch.

Wednesday on the latest episode of Spittin Chiclets, MacKinnon told the story of his first training session with Crosby:

I mean you hear it all the time but he is a freak in the gym. I’m just going to tell the story I’ve been wanting to tell it. It was my first workout with Sid ever, so I mean I met him when I was 15, but I got drafted by Colorado. Whatever. In 2013, I was still 17 years old and Sid and Andy always went to PEI after Canada Day. So that would have been like a week after the draft, five days after the draft, and they do like a a beach workout. And so I get there I meet Sid. I’m like fired up, like I can’t wait to work out with Sidney Crosby and we’re doing this work out and I’m exhausted. You know I’m so bagged. I just got in, my dad drove me up to PEI and we do 10 hill sprints up a sand dune. I don’t know if you ever seen on a beach, these dunes. So this is this is, I’m not even this isn’t an exaggeration. We do 10 hill sprints and he beats me on all nine to start. He crushed me and all nine. I’m like yes like he’s beating me, this is great. I was like too scared, you know. But on the tenth sprint I got the head start and I was beating him. I was halfway up the hill. And then I feel this hand on my ankle. And then my face smacks into the sand. I don’t even know him. I’m 17. So I was beating up the hill but he literally grabbed my ankle and dragged me down the sand dude, and then he finished the race and got his and got his ten victories.”

Bissonnette has come a long way from being an offensive defenseman for the Wheeling Nailers, eh? If you missed the golf match, it’s worth a look.