After meeting with several other “specialists” in recent weeks, it was announced that Crosby had suffered a fractured neck. Well, now it is being reported that the Pittsburgh Penguins captain is suffering from a soft tissue injury that could be contributing to his concussion-like symptoms.
After spending on time on both coasts with several doctors last week, Crosby was told the injury to his top two vertebrae can result in concussion-like symptoms. If this is indeed the problem, or at least part of the problem, that has forced Crosby out of action since Dec. 5, then this is the best news the Penguins have received since No. 87 was cleared to suit up back on Nov. 21.
After losing six straight games and falling out of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, the Pittsburgh Penguins knew they needed something to change their fortunes for the better heading into Friday night’s game against the Florida Panthers.
Sindey Crosby still wasn’t able to participate, but maybe his presence during the morning skate was what the team needed to turn things around.
The Pens were able to end their skid with a 4-1 victory, but as you could imagine, all of the talk that day was about seeing No. 87 back on the ice. Crosby skated for 27 minutes with his teammates during their morning practice, the first time Crosby has done so in over a month.
Thursday night marked the much-anticipated return of Jaromir Jagr to the city of Pittsburgh.
As expected, the Penguin faithful at the CONSOL Engery Center did not welcome back their former superstar with open arms, repeatedly booing No. 68 every time he touched the puck.
However, it was Jagr who got the last laugh, netting a goal in the second period to help the Philadelphia Flyers earn a 4-2 victory over the Pens. The game also marked the return to Pittsburgh for former Penguin Max Talbot, who signed with the Flyers over the offseason. Surprisingly, Talbot received a standing ovation, but perhaps Pens fans now regret the gesture of kindness after Talbot hit the empty-net goal to seal the Flyers’ triumph.
Bad news for not only the Pittsburgh Penguins but Hockey fans in general as the team has announced that Sidney Crosby is out indefinitely with concussion-like symptoms.
Crosby has only played eight games this season since being sidelined for 10 months with these same concussion-like symptoms. He said Monday he noticed a recurrence of the problems following a 3-1 loss to Boston last week.
After missing practice today, Crosby spoke to the media and here are some of this comments:
“Not (feeling) bad. I’m not happy about watching. But I have to make sure with these sort of things that I’m careful and making sure I’m 100 percent before coming back. No timetable.
The entire city of Pittsburgh is on pins and needles again. That’s because Sidney Crosby is set to miss the next two games.
Crosby will sit out road games Thursday at Philadelphia and Saturday at the New York Islanders. This decision comes after a full practice Wednesday before the Penguins‘ flight departed for Philadelphia. Crosby gave no sign during or after Wednesday’s practice that there was a problem.
However, the team believes that Crosby’s concussion symptoms may have stemmed from an accidental collision between Crosby and teammate Chris Kunitz during the third period of Monday’s loss to the Boston Bruins. The two were skating near center ice when the seemingly innocuous collision occurred.
Watching Sidney Crosby skate up and down the ice in front of raucous, sold-out crowd of 18,571 at Consol Energy Center Monday night, you never would have thought that it was his first NHL game in 320 days.
Yet Sid the kid was still Sid the kid.
It took all of 5:24 into the first period to realize why so many consider him the greatest player in the world right now. That was when Crosby took a pass from Pascal Dupruis at center, accelerated past a helpless defender and buried a backhander under the crossbar for the game’s opening goal. Crosby would finish the night with two goals and two assists, leading the Pittsburgh Penguins to a dominant 5-0 victory over the New York Islanders.
Don’t be alarmed by the shouts of joy that you hear coming from the city of Pittsburgh—they’re just a little giddy because the greatest hockey player in the world today has finally been cleared to play.
That’s right, Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby will finally lace up his skates and take part in his first NHL game since Jan. 5, 2011.
No. 87 was cleared Sunday by concussion specialist Michael “Micky” Collins and team doctor Charles “Chip” Burke, and he will play Monday night against the New York Islanders at Consol Energy Center. Luckily for hockey fans across the continent, we will all get to witness his return. The 7 p.m. game will be televised nationally by Versus in the United States and CBC in Canada.
As it turns out, Sidney Crosby’s comments from Monday that there was a “possibility” that he could play in his first game of the 2011-12 season were based on more speculation than fact.
Head coach Dan Bylsma wouldn’t hint at a definitive return date for No. 87, even though Crosby went through another full-scale, full-speed practice Thursday—one so good that teammate Steve Sullivan said he couldn’t tell Crosby ever was hurt.
“From a coach’s standpoint, we’re not looking for some indicator on the ice that Sidney can play,” Bylsma said. “From a medical standpoint—in terms of clearance, the next steps, progression—that’s all from the doctors’ directive.”
Desperate for some sort of change that could reverse their losing ways, the Columbus Blue Jackets acquired Mark Letestu from the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for a fourth-round pick at the 2012 NHL draft.
The 26-year-old Letestu had 14 goals and 13 assists in 64 games for the Penguins in 2010-11 but has just one assist in 11 games this season.
While rumors are already swirling that the reason the Pens made the move was to clear a spot for the anticipated return of captain Sidney Crosby, that still remains speculation at this point.
While it is only just one more small step toward a full recovery, Crosby was wearing the same black helmet as his Pittsburgh Penguins teammates at the Consol Energy Center on Thursday morning, meaning he was cleared for contact. Although the practice that day didn’t feature any contact drills, Sid confirmed following the practice that he was making progress.
“Yeah, it’s full contact, so it’s a good step in the right direction,” Crosby said following his first full-scale practice since January. “It’s a big step…it’s a big one and we’ll see how things go.”
Another day, another Sidney Crosby injury update.
