French players are angry that their federation has suspended Pierre Crinon.

Charles-Alexis Brisebois
French players are angry that their federation has suspended Pierre Crinon.
Credit: Xavier Laine/Getty Images

Pierre Crinon has made a bad name for himself recently. The Frenchman gave Nathan MacKinnon a dirty check, fought with Tom Wilson, and then made gestures to the crowd afterward.

And clearly, that didn't go down well.

When I say it didn't go down well, I'm referring to his hand gestures after being ejected from the game against Canada. That's exactly what the French said in their statement.

After all, the French federation was clear: Crinon was suspended not for his actions on the ice, but for his actions off the ice.

He did not represent France well and was therefore punished by his federation, which no one had asked anything of.

Clearly, the French take respect for fans very seriously. It's a good thing American players don't play for France: they'd all get suspended. #Hehe

But while French officials are proud of their move, the players are not. They find it ridiculous that one of their own has been suspended by his own federation just for that.

A couple French players were upset at Pierre Crinon's suspension

Antoine Keller called it a joke

Hugo Gallet said Crinon didn't deserve it, adding the French federation was “biased by something that happened before.” (Assuming he means the previous suspension for punching a…

— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) February 17, 2026

Was Crinon, who has a history of being a bad boy, a victim of his reputation? It's possible that there's some truth to that. Hugo Gallet thinks so, in any case.

Did it go too far? All opinions are valid.

My theory? The French knew that their chances of winning medals were not in the men's hockey tournament, so they chose Crinon to send a message to all French athletes: if you want to represent the country, you have to walk the straight and narrow.

Because if it's really just for the gesture…


in bursts

– He's right.

Reminder: The Canadiens will hold practice at 3 p.m. today at CN Sports Complex in Brossard.

– Interesting.

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