Sidney Crosby might be closer to a return than many would have predicted.
The Pittsburgh Penguins captain was a full participant at his team’s practice Friday. Crosby was in his regular black practice jersey and took line rushes between Jake Guentzel and Patric Hornqvist. He also was seen working on the top power-play unit with Hornqvist, Evgeni Malkin, Phil Kessel and Justin Schultz.
Crosby suffered a concussion Monday when he was on the receiving end of a Matt Niskanen cross-check in Game 3 of Pittsburgh’s second-round series with the Washington Capitals. Niskanen was assessed five minutes and a game misconduct but avoided suspension. Crosby was also slashed by Alex Ovechkin on the play.
“[Ovechkin’s] just trying to prevent a goal. That’s a pretty common play,” Crosby told reporters after Friday’s skate. “There are different levels of how hard, but that’s standard as far as going to the net with the puck. Guys are trying to prevent you from shooting. The [Niskanen] play is hard to say. I’m not going to sit here and guess. It’s not one that happens too often.”
Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan told reporters Friday that Crosby is considered day-to-day. The 29-year-old’s status for the game is up in the air but No. 87 isn’t ruling out a return to the lineup.
“It was good to get out there,” Crosby said. “It was good to be out there with the guys. I feel good. Right now I’m just following what I’m told to do.”
The reigning Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy winner has sustained multiple concussions during his career dating back to 2011. Crosby missed the first six games of the 2016-17 campaign after being concussed during a practice. His history with concussions has some fans and medical professionals feeling apprehensive that he might be rushing back to action too quickly.
“When there have been multiple concussions, the chance of having persisting symptoms goes up terrifically,” Dr. Charles Tator, director of the Canadian Concussion Centre at Toronto Western Hospital, told the Canadian Press. “So we’re especially careful about helping people avoid further concussions. If he were an amateur, we would probably tell him to hang up his skates.”
Crosby knows the risks.
“Having gone through this I’d like to think I’m pretty aware with my body at this point,” he explained. “I understand the importance of making sure you’re good before you come back. I have a lot of belief in our staff here. They’re going to do everything in their power to make sure I come back. I trust them. I trust the process you have to go through. Whenever it’s time, I’ll be ready.”
[relatedlinks]
