Jim Montgomery, the coach of the Boston Bruins, states, “The NHL Has a Genuine Preference for Sidney Crosby.”

Jim Montgomery, the coach of the Boston Bruins, states, “The NHL Has a Genuine Preference for Sidney Crosby.”

In sports, favoritism is a perennially contentious subject. On Saturday, Boston Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery may have escalated the debate.

After his Boston Bruins battled past the Pittsburgh Penguins, Montgomery voiced his thoughts on some of the game’s officiating. Montgomery took particular issue with the so-called “Sid Rules,” which grant special treatment to Sidney Crosby, the captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins and the public face of the National Hockey League.

Although Montgomery admitted that he was hesitant to challenge a goal during the game due of the NHL’s best player’s preference, he didn’t seem very concerned by it.

Superstars like David Pastrnak and Patrice Bergeron on the Boston Bruins team mean that Montgomery will eventually gain from a system where referees are more forgiving to superstars. Montgomery said that he didn’t object to the calls when asked if he believed his team had been treated unfairly by the officials on Saturday.