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Entries with the tag: Sidney+Crosby
Crosby’s Injury Has No Easy Diagnosis
by Paul on 02/09/12 at 12:55 AM ET
Comments (9)
from Stephania Bell of ESPN,
So why is this injury, which sounds at once benign (soft tissue) and sinister (neck), so difficult to grasp? And why, if it isn’t particularly serious, is it proving to be such a hurdle for Crosby to overcome? The answers are simultaneously straightforward and complex.
Some athletic injuries are just easy to comprehend. Take, for instance, the hamstring strain. This is a classic example of a soft-tissue injury (a term typically used to refer to injury of a muscle, tendon or ligament). Hamstring strains can be mild or severe. At best, an athlete might describe nothing more than “tightness” or “pulling,” and would recover in a matter of days. In more serious cases, the athlete might feel a “pop” or experience a “tearing” sensation while collapsing in obvious pain. If the athlete was unable to return to play for multiple weeks—even months—after such an injury, it might be frustrating but most would understand. And it would not surprise anyone if the biggest concern was whether returning too soon could lead to reinjury.
But when the injury feels less familiar (as is the case with Crosby’s) and the soft-tissue injury is located in that no-man’s land of the neck (where there are very important things like the spinal cord, discs, nerves and vertebrae), it somehow casts a shadow of a far more serious condition.
The reality is that there are very reasonable comparisons between soft-tissue injuries in any part of the body. Just as a hamstring injury is a soft tissue injury of the thigh, an injury to the muscles, tendons or ligaments of the cervical spine is a soft tissue injury of the neck. Soft tissue, when damaged, bleeds to varying degrees, resulting in pain and inflammation in the injured area, whether it’s the thigh or the neck.
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If Crosby Needs To Retire
by Paul on 02/08/12 at 10:07 AM ET
Comments (1)
from Rick Westhead of the Toronto Star,
NHL players still receive their paychecks if they’re forced out of the lineup with injuries sustained during games or practices. But off-ice insurance policies provide a financial cushion for players in case they are injured away from the rink.
Some teams have threatened to scuttle contracts if players get hurt during certain activities, such as mountain climbing or water skiing. Crosby’s around-the-clock policy covers him against any career-ending injuries.
Pat Brisson, Crosby’s agent, confirmed the Penguins captain has insurance coverage, but he declined to confirm the value of his policy. A source familiar with the matter confirmed the policy is worth about $20 million.
Crosby, who is making $9 million this season and $7.5 million next year, would only be able to cash in the policy if he retires permanently from the NHL.
It’s possible that he could retire and collect from his insurance company and later return to hockey. Crosby would first need to repay his insurance payout.
If Crosby collects a massive insurance payout, it could have a ripple effect across all pro sports leagues. Several insurance industry executives say it would dwarf any other NHL-related payout.
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Afternoon Line
by Paul on 02/01/12 at 01:49 PM ET
Comments (9)
“I never reported it as a fracture to the C1 and C2. I deliberately said it was an injury to the C1 and C2. But [Crosby’s agent] Pat Brisson confirmed it as a fracture. So did Alex Guerrero and Dr. [Robert] Bray who both saw the fractures in the MRIs.
“Just because the Penguins now say there was no fracture, why should we believe them? Why are they the most credible source? They’ve had this file in front of them for months, and the story keeps changing. Are they saying Guerrero and Dr. Bray, who’ve worked with many top athletes and teams in the past, aren’t accurate?
“Look, I’d be okay if someone could prove it one way or the other. But this idea that the Penguins and their doctors are the final word on this doesn’t stand up after all that’s happened in the past on this file.”
-Bob McCown of Sportsnet 590 on Sidney Crosby. More from Bruce Dowbiggin of the Globe and Mail, plus other hockey releated topics…
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Crosby Update
by Paul on 01/31/12 at 05:28 PM ET
Comments (18)
via the Pittsburgh Penguins,
An independent specialist contacted to review recent medical tests taken on Sidney Crosby found no evidence of a past or present neck fracture but verified that Crosby is suffering from a soft-tissue injury of the neck, that could be causing neurological symptoms.
Dr. Alexander Vaccaro is a spinal trauma expert at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia and co-director of the Spinal Cord Center at Thomas Jefferson University. He is past president of the American Spinal Injury Association.
Crosby’s agent, Pat Brisson, along with Penguins owner Mario Lemieux and CEO David Morehouse traveled Monday morning to Philadelphia, where Vaccaro reviewed a CAT Scan and MRI taken last week by Dr. Robert S. Bray in Los Angeles. Bray diagnosed a neck injury.
Bray has treated Crosby with an injection to alleviate swelling in the C1-2 joint of the neck and will be overseeing his progression with therapists.
Doctors say the symptoms of a soft-tissue neck injury are similar to concussion symptoms.
Vaccaro, Bray and UPMC doctors all agree that Crosby is safe, the injury is treatable, and he will return to action when he is symptom-free.
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Should Crosby Retire?
by Paul on 01/31/12 at 09:00 AM ET
Comments (29)
from Robert MacLeod of the Globe and Mail,
Concussions.
Sidney Crosby, the National Hockey League’s most recognizable star, has suffered one – probably more than one – and it may be time for him to retire. At age 24.
Retirement, no matter how distasteful it may seem to the NHL and to hockey fans in general, is an option that must be seriously considered, according to some in the medical community.
Over lunch recently with a respected Toronto sports orthopedic surgeon that point was driven home repeatedly – that Crosby has no choice but to retire, that his efforts to resume his spectacular playing career after suffering a concussion early in the NHL season in 2011, isn’t worth the risk.
“Crosby would be far better off quitting the game and becoming the chief spokesperson for concussions and speaking out against head shots in the game,” said the doctor. “He is taking a huge gamble with his health by trying to come back.
“He has nothing left to prove in the game. And imagine the impact he would have, especially to younger kids, by getting out now. That alone would force the NHL to take serious steps to clean up its act.”
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Now We Wait For Crosby News
by Paul on 01/29/12 at 08:51 PM ET
Comments (6)
from Michael Farber of Sports Illustrated,
The guessing game is when Crosby sustained the previously undiagnosed neck injury, which, the Penguins noted in the statement, will be further “evaluated by independent specialists” in the coming days. The obvious choices are:
A: Jan. 1, 2011, in the ill-fated Winter Classic, when David Steckel, then with Washington, collided with Crosby—inadvertently apparently—in the second period.
B: Jan. 5, 2011, when Tampa Bay defenseman Victor Hedman rammed Crosby into the end boards.
C: Dec. 5, 2011, in a game in which Bruins center David Krejci accidentally struck Crosby with an elbow in the head. The Pittsburgh center also collided with teammate Chris Kunitz during the match.
If the answer is anything but C, there could be problems that go beyond the quotidian issues of rehab for a man whose medical dossier became the only stat sheet on All-Star weekend that ultimately mattered.
Crosby might not have to have said anything directly to Brisson about his treatment by the Penguins. There surely are surrogates, people close to him, who could fill in the blanks if Crosby truly were reticent about sharing his thoughts with a man who has been his agent for almost a decade. People close to Crosby have mused that if the Penguins had noticed how out of sorts he looked after being dinged by Steckel, and if the team had not allowed him to play the final period or in the match against Tampa, a year-plus odyssey might have resulted in several weeks on the sideline instead of several months.
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More News On Crosby
by Paul on 01/28/12 at 06:50 PM ET
Comments (7)
via Elliotte Friedman tweets,
Crosby agent Pat Brisson: Sid did suffer a concussion, but last week, the possibility of two fractured vertebrae (C1 and C2) was…(cont)
discovered. A third doctor is being consulted to determine the exact diagnosis.
When I refer to “another concussion,” it’s from the Krejci hit.
added 6:58pm, Bob McCown of Sportsnet 590 with a timeline report and more details on the possible injury.
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Crosby Continues To Skate
by Paul on 01/27/12 at 09:33 PM ET
Comments (2)
via Craig Custance of ESPN,
Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby continues to make progress towards a comeback this season. He’s been back on the ice, recently skating on his own in both Atlanta and Los Angeles.
“He has been skating pretty much all week,” his agent Pat Brisson confirmed in an email to ESPN the Magazine.
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Crosby Sees A Neurological Spine Specialist
by Paul on 01/21/12 at 11:20 AM ET
Comments (2)
via the Pittsburgh Penguins,
Sidney Crosby traveled to California Friday to visit with Dr. Robert S. Bray, a neurological spine specialist, as part of his continuing treatment program. Crosby will undergo a series of tests with Dr. Bray.
Crosby has not played since Dec. 5 because of concussion-like symptoms.
Crosby accompanied the Pittsburgh Penguins on their trip to Florida last weekend and skated with his teammates for two days. He then went to visit with Dr. Ted Carrick, a specialist in chiropractic neurology, early this week.
Crosby spent several days with Dr. Carrick in Atlanta, working on motion and balance, and continued skating there while getting treatments.
“Sidney is meeting with some of the top specialists in the country as he continues his recovery,” said Ray Shero, the Penguins’ general manager
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Morning Line
by Paul on 01/17/12 at 09:45 AM ET
Comments (2)
Crosby, we hope, has much more to give hockey, and in a perfect world, the concussion woes never return after he’s shaken this latest nightmare.
But it doesn’t take much imagination to envision a different picture, of a diminished, cautious Crosby returning whenever he decides he’s able, but never again quite as recklessly exuberant and commanding on the ice as Sid The Kid used to be before the shadow descended.
However it turns out, whenever and in whatever form he comes back, he will never be that kid again.
-Cam Cole of the Vancouver Sun on Sidney Crosby. Read more on this topic from Cole.
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Crosby Still Has Some Symptoms From Concussion
by Paul on 01/16/12 at 01:55 PM ET
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via the Pittsburgh Penguins,
Sidney Crosby will meet this week with Dr. Ted Carrick, a specialist in chiropractic neurology who treated him in August.
Crosby, who has not played since Dec. 5 because of concussion-like symptoms, accompanied the Penguins on their recent road trip and skated on Friday and Saturday. He mentioned in an interview Friday that he was still having some issues with motion and balance – areas where Dr. Carrick had helped him previously.
Crosby did not return with the team to Pittsburgh and instead traveled to meet with Carrick, who has practices in Florida and Georgia.
“Sidney has made a lot of progress but he is still having some symptoms, so this is the next step in his recovery,” said Penguins general manager Ray Shero. “Obviously he won’t be back in the lineup until he is symptom-free.”
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Video- Crosby Talks After Practice Today
by Paul on 01/13/12 at 01:12 PM ET
Comments (0)
Thanks to George Richards of On Frozen Pond for the video.
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Should The Penguins Name A Temporary Captain?
by Paul on 01/13/12 at 09:43 AM ET
Comments (7)
from Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review,
The only thing more absurd than the notion that Crosby doesn’t want to play hockey is that he’s conspiring to get out of town.
It’s dead wrong.
You’re going to hear some of this stuff Friday when Crosby faces reporters at about noon in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. But let me lay this out now: The Penguins, the public and, yes, Crosby all need to learn how to handle this situation better in the future.
That begins with the locker room.
A few, certainly not all, of Crosby’s teammates are of the mind that he’s been symptom-free for a while, though they have no medical basis for that. Some think he should be playing. Some simply think he should be doing more to communicate, or at least be as visible as concussed defenseman Kris Letang.
Last week in Pittsburgh, according to three sources, a group of players held a 45-minute meeting to discuss a temporary captaincy. Another source disputed that any such meeting occurred.
If it did, were those players kidding?
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Crosby Starts Skating
by Paul on 01/11/12 at 06:05 PM ET
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via Sam Kasan at the Penguins website,
Pens coach Dan Bylsma announced that center Sidney Crosby will join the team in Washington Wednesday night and will skate during a two-game road trip in Florida.
“Tonight, Sidney Crosby will be joining us on the road trip,” Bylsma said. “He will be skating during this trip. He also will at some point in time address the media as well. No set plan, but this will happen in the next few days.”
There is no timetable for his return.
“(Crosby) has been working out with light exercises in the weight room and on the bike,” Bylsma said. “We’ll be glad to see him on the ice.”
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The Latest On Crosby
by Paul on 12/29/11 at 09:41 AM ET
Comments (1)
from Josh Yohe of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review,
Michael Collins, a clinical psychologist who heads the UPMC Sports Concussion Program, continues to oversee Crosby but has been joined by Dr. Joseph Maroon, the Steelers’ neurosurgeon and WWE consultant who helped develop the ImPACT test widely used by professional and college teams to determine concussion severity.
Maroon recently was part of a medical team that oversaw the Flyers’ Chris Pronger, who is out for the season with a concussion.
Dr. Chip Burke, the Penguins’ team physician, is the only person permitted to clear Crosby for game action.
Shero declined to comment when asked if Crosby has visited Ted Carrick, a chiropractor based in Florida. Carrick worked with Crosby in August.
“I can tell you that Sidney isn’t going to come back until he is 100 percent healthy,” Shero said. “If he’s having symptoms of any kind, we’re not going to let him back into the lineup. It’s that simple.”
Two sources in the Penguins’ organization said they expect Crosby to play again this season.
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CBC Names Crosby Most Influential Sports Figure For 2011
by Paul on 12/21/11 at 01:52 PM ET
Comments (9)
from Malcom Kelly of CBC Sports,
For the third year, a panel of CBC Sports executives, producers, writers and broadcasters has come up with a list of the people they consider the most influential on the national sports scene over the past 12 months….
1. Sidney Crosby, Injured List, Pittsburgh Penguins
When Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote about the “shot heard round the world” in the opening stanza of the poem Concord Hymn in 1837, he was referring to the start of the American War of Independence 62 years previous.
Hockey isn’t quite as important as the birth of a nation, but you can argue the shot delivered by David Steckel to the head of Sidney Crosby just hours into 2011 may have not only changed the Pittsburgh captain’s own paradigm, but set the game itself on a path to what may be revolutionary changes.
Crosby has missed all but eight games in 2011 with concussion, and is out again for who knows how long.
At the same time, the discussion itself has changed, especially with the death this summer of three former NHL enforcers, to now include the possibility that the game of hockey as we know it could be altered.
Crosby is famous here in Canada for a coffee shop commercial where he says, “Wouldn’t it be amazing, getting up every morning … to do something you love to do?”
That he can’t is angering a lot of hockey people and making concussion — and the shots to the head that cause it — a cause celebre.
the rest of the Top 10…
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Responding To The Rants
by Paul on 12/20/11 at 11:20 AM ET
Comments (11)
Pierre LeBrun of ESPN answers some of the rants from NHL fans,
I am so SICK of people hating on Crosby. They say he isn’t tough. News flash: Concussions have nothing to do with toughness or skill. Also, most of the people questioning Sid’s toughness are ones that have never put on a pair of skates. They say he’s a crybaby and he gets too much attention. He himself said that he was sick of cameras coming to his stall every day after practice. He’s the best player in the world, so he will get some attention whether he, or other people like it.
My take (LeBrun): Well said. I’m pretty tired myself of all the Crosby haters. If they got to know the kid like some of us have had the chance over the past several years, they’d have a different impression of him. I can guarantee it. It’s why he’s won the admiration of the likes of Wayne Gretzky and Bobby Orr et al because of his all-world skill but also just as important because of his work ethic and the way he respects the game. Enough said.
more topics…
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Video- Elbow Or Not?
by Paul on 12/13/11 at 10:48 AM ET
Comments (31)
from CSNNE,
Sidney Crosby is once again experiencing post-concussion symptoms, and he’s placing at least some of the blame on Bruins center David Krejci. Crosby says Krejci hit him with an elbow in their game two weeks ago.
Michael Felger says that’s poppycock.
“[Crosby] is once again showing himself to be whiner in this,” Felger says. “He’s blaming David Krejci for a play that happened in a game against the Bruins two weeks ago.
Now you can watch the video in which Felger says there was no elbow. But why do a video and not show the play he is talking about. Instead, he says you can go online to watch it.
Let’s watch that “online” video below and I see a toss of the left elbow, not major, but it is an elbow.
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Tags: David+Krejci, Sidney+Crosby,
Who Really Knows When Crosby Will Return
by Paul on 12/12/11 at 06:30 PM ET
Comments (5)
from Red Fisher of the Montreal Gazette,
“I don’t think ‘frustrating’ even describes it,” Crosby told Pittsburgh reporters on Monday – and he has that right.
Frustrating isn’t the word for it, because after scoring 12 points in eight games since he returned from a concussion that knocked him out of the lineup for 61 games and nearly 11 months, the headaches are back. For that reason, you can dismiss Crosby’s suggestion that he’s “way better off than I was 10 months ago.”
The reason: he also admitted that while he has been doing light workouts, he will have to go through a similar progression – skating, practising and practising with contact before he is cleared to return to the lineup.
In other words: everything he had to do when he was at first diagnosed with a “mild” concussion last season.
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Crosby Updates His Heath Status
by Paul on 12/12/11 at 12:51 PM ET
Comments (8)
from Sam Kasan of Penguins Report,
Here are some quick comments from Crosby…
“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.
“I did my ImPACT test and it went pretty good. That was a good sign. It’s much different than previously going through that stuff. That was encouraging. I skated following day after with exertion. I just didn’t feel right. After talking with everyone I figured it was better to be cautious and not take any chances. That’s where I’m at right now.
added 2:47pm, Watch the Crosby media scrum below…
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Afternoon Line
by Paul on 12/08/11 at 03:11 PM ET
Comments (1)
“I just want to be smart with this. It’s been a long road back and we want to err on the side of caution.
“I’ve taken some good hits over the past few weeks and am happy with the way my body responded … but after discussing things with doctors it was better to make sure I was cautious before returning to play.”
-Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins. More on Crosby from Sam Kasan of the Penguins website.
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Crosby Out Next Two Games
by Paul on 12/07/11 at 04:14 PM ET
Comments (23)
via the Pittsburgh Penguins website,
Sidney Crosby did not accompany the Pittsburgh Penguins on their road trip to Philadelphia today and will sit out the next two games as a precaution.
“Sidney took a hard hit during our game against Boston Monday night and wasn’t feeling 100 percent,” Penguins General Manager Ray Shero said. “He saw Dr. Micky Collins of UPMC today and took an ImPACT test, which showed no problems. However, we all think it’s best that he sits out the next two games as a precaution.”
added 6:19pm, from Pierre LeBrun of ESPN,
“We’re being cautious and keeping in mind he was off for a long time,’’ Shero later told ESPN.com via text message before a flight Wednesday evening. “Take a step back here and see how he feels in a few days.’’
It may well be that Crosby will be just fine after his two-game absence and not ever look back again, but everyone involved dearly hopes it’s not a sign of things to come.
There’s no way of knowing, of course.
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Video- Spinning Around In A Three Dimensional Environment Helped Crosby Recover From Concussion
by Paul on 11/24/11 at 05:52 AM ET
Comments (1)
A new treatment from a chiropractor in Georgia seems to have helped Crosby with his concussion problems.
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Crosby Odds But No Ends
by Paul on 11/21/11 at 01:11 PM ET
Comments (6)
Odds provided by Bodog.
(NYI vs PIT) - Will Sidney Crosby (PIT) score a goal in the game?
Yes -140
No +110
(NYI vs PIT) - Will Sidney Crosby (PIT) record a point in the game?
Yes -325
No +250
NHL 2011-2012 Regular Season - Total Games Played - Sidney Crosby (PIT)
Over/Under 50.5
NHL 2011-2012 Regular Season - Total Points - Sidney Crosby (PIT)
Over/Under 80.5
Will Sidney Crosby (PIT) win the Hart Memorial Trophy as the NHL’s Most Valuable Player?
Yes 8/1
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Everybody’s Happy
by Paul on 11/21/11 at 09:26 AM ET
Comments (1)
from Michael Grange of Sportsnet,
There are but a handful of hockey players who can really relate to Sidney Crosby and what he was before he suffered his career-threatening concussion and what he’s been through in the 11 months since.
Already the best in the game, he seemed poised to join the hockey’s pantheon - Gretzky, Lemieux, Orr and Howe. Monday night in Pittsburgh the quest begins anew.
But there are millions of hockey parents who can relate to Troy Crosby in the months since his son was sidelined and maybe especially in the anxious weeks since he began inching ever closer to playing again.
“When the day comes, as a parent I’m just going to be happy he’s happy he’s back doing something he loves to do,” the elder Crosby said recently as his son was in the final stages of his re-entry into the NHL fray. “And as a hockey parent I’ll be happy because I miss watching him.”
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It’s An All Crosby Night
by Paul on 11/20/11 at 11:37 PM ET
Comments (111)
NHL.com has 11 Sidney Crosby related stories or videos on their home page as of five minutes ago.
I can understand that but please NHL.com, do remember there are other players in the league who are having great seasons but not getting the proper attention.
Don’t put all your eggs in one basket!
See a screenshot of NHL.com below…
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Crosby Returns On Monday
by Paul on 11/20/11 at 03:02 PM ET
Comments (24)
via the Peguins PR Department,
The Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby will return to the team’s lineup on Monday night when the Penguins host the New York Islanders at 7 p.m. at CONSOL Energy Center.
added 4:37pm, via CBC Communications,
NHL superstar Sidney Crosby makes his highly anticipated return to the Pittsburgh Penguins line-up as they take on the New York Islanders on a special edition of CBC’S HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA on Monday, November 21 at 7 p.m. ET.
The veteran play-by-play team of Jim Hughson and analyst Craig Simpson will call the game from the broadcast booth with Glenn Healy providing analysis from between the benches. Ron MacLean will set the stage for the game as he hosts from the CBC’S HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA studio.
The Penguins’ captain has been out of the line-up since January 5, 2011, due to a concussion – a span of 61 consecutive regular-season games. The former league MVP and perennial all-star will rejoin his team at the start of a three-game home stand.
added 5:30pm,
NEW YORK (November 20, 2011) – With Sidney Crosby making his return to the Pittsburgh Penguins lineup for the first time since January 5, VERSUS is switching from the Boston Bruins/Montreal Canadiens game scheduled for Monday night to air the New York Islanders/Penguins game at 7 p.m. from the CONSOL Energy Center. Coverage begins at 6:30 p.m. ET with NHL Live after a 30-minute edition of NBC SportsTalk at 6 p.m. ET
COMMENTATORS: The team of Dave Strader (play-by-play announcer) and Pierre McGuire (‘Inside the Glass’ analyst) will call all the action from Pittsburgh.
VERSUS’ NHL action continues this week with the Los Angeles Kings at St. Louis Blues on Tuesday with coverage beginning at 7 p.m. ET.
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Crosby Close
by Paul on 11/02/11 at 09:23 AM ET
Comments (12)
from Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review,
He still isn’t committing to a firm date. He’ll accompany the Penguins today on their two-game West Coast swing, and there are five blank spots on the calendar before the Nov. 11 home game against Dallas.
Could that be the one?
The 11-11-11 date might hit a little close to home for the superstitious Crosby, whose first head shot came 1-1-11. So maybe Nov. 15 against Colorado is a better guess.
I asked Crosby what, beyond that pregame locker room scene, he has visualized for his return game.
“Just about everything,” he said, smiling again. “Going to the bench with the guys. Hearing all the chatter. Having your hometown crowd behind you. Maybe, if it’s a close game, feeling that intensity again. All of that. Every bit of it. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”
Soon.
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Crosby Updates His Status
by Paul on 10/11/11 at 04:43 PM ET
Comments (0)
from Alan Robinson at NHL.com,
The wait continues for Sidney Crosby, even though it might not go on that much longer.
On a day of guarded optimism in Pittsburgh that Crosby finally would get clearance to engage in full contact during practice, the Pittsburgh Penguins’ captain went through another game-day skate wearing a no-contact helmet.Despite a Pittsburgh Tribune-Review report that Crosby was scheduled to meet with his concussion specialists Tuesday—perhaps to be cleared to participate in full-scale practices—Crosby said the meeting won’t occur until later this week. He did not offer a date, or any prediction about what might happen when it does.
“I don’t know who said I had an appointment today, but I don’t,” Crosby said. “It’s the same as usual. I feel good. It went good today and I’m excited to be home.”
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Sidney Crosby on IR
by Alanah McGinley on 10/03/11 at 12:07 PM ET
Comments (1)
From NHL.com:
In addition to re-assigning or waiving multiple players to bring the active roster down to 23 players, Pittsburgh also announced that Sidney Crosby will be placed on injured reserve to start the season. Because of NHL rules, Crosby will now be unavailable to the Pens for at least the first seven days of the season.
In addition to Crosby, the Penguins also placed Dustin Jeffrey, Nick Petersen, Robert Bortuzzo and Boris Valabik on IR.
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Tags: boris+valabik, dustin+jeffrey, nick+petersen, robert+bortuzzo, sidney+crosby,
A Different Kind Of NHL Season
by Paul on 10/02/11 at 07:57 PM ET
Comments (2)
from Jeff Z. Klein of the New York Times,
It has been said that the N.H.L. season beginning on Thursday is about Sidney Crosby. But it is also about ideas, about vast changes in perception and philosophy across the league, both among the people who run the game and those who play it. And that, too, is largely about Sidney Crosby.
The 2011-12 season will be very different from any season played before, even if Crosby will not be on the ice for the start of it. It is a season that will be watched closely to see whether the N.H.L. will continue to enforce its new, rigorously applied rules against boarding and checks to the head, which resulted in nine suspensions in the preseason through Saturday.
“I’m not surprised, to be honest with you,” Crosby said of the new regulations. “That’s kind of where everything’s going.”
Crosby, the youngest team captain to raise the Stanley Cup, the scorer of the goal that won an Olympic gold medal and by common agreement the sport’s best player, had just darted and glided through an hourlong practice at Joe Louis Arena ahead of the Penguins’ preseason game Sunday, looking terrific.
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Tags: Sidney+Crosby,
Afternoon Line
by Paul on 09/29/11 at 12:07 PM ET
Comments (2)
When Sidney Crosby plays his next NHL game, the Penguins will be complete, but there’s no knowing if he’ll ever be whole, if he’ll ever be all the way back, if something has been irretrievably lost. Based on training camp, a full comeback looks possible, but if a “mild” concussion sidelined him for more than nine months, another one is an awful prospect for the player, the team and the league.
-Gare Joyce of Sporstnet Magazine where you can read more on Crosby.
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Tags: Sidney+Crosby,
Video- Crosby Wants To Make Sure Everything Is Right When He Comes Back
by Paul on 09/21/11 at 06:31 PM ET
Comments (7)
Kathryn Tappen now with the NHL Network sits down with Sidney Crosby.
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Crosby Can Practice But No Contact
by Paul on 09/16/11 at 10:09 AM ET
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from Shelly Anderson of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette,
Penguins captain Sidney Crosby said this morning that he will practice with the club in training camp, starting with Saturday’s first day on the ice. He has not, however, been cleared for contact, so will sit out scrimmages and contact drills.
“I’m excited to get going,” said Crosby, who was diagnosed with a concussion Jan. 6 and did not play again last season.
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Tags: Sidney+Crosby,
NHLers Speaking Up About Headshots
by Alanah McGinley on 09/14/11 at 01:01 PM ET
Comments (1)
From Bill Beacon of the CP via the Globe & Mail:
Montreal Canadiens sniper Michael Cammalleri says having superstar Sidney Crosby speak out about headshots will help other NHL players voice opinions on what used to be a taboo subject.
“What the immediate effect is for me is that it allows other players now to come out and say ‘OK, it’s not uncool to say what I really believe, and that I’m not a soft player because I don’t think we should have headshots. I’m not a player a general manager won’t want on his team. I’m now going to voice that opinion,“’ Cammalleri said Wednesday as the Canadiens gathered for their annual charity golf tournament.
“I think it’s very good of Sid to be able to do that. He’s under a big microscope, the biggest in our game, and I commend him for doing that. I think that it’s important that we don’t be ignorant to what’s going on in our game.”
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Tags: mike+cammalleri, sidney+crosby,
Led By Crosby, 14 Penguins Players Deliver Season Tickets
by brianmetzer on 09/12/11 at 01:43 PM ET
Comments (13)
Those of you who have read my blogs over the years know that I have always been very complimentary of how the Pittsburgh Penguins treat their fans… at least most of the time anyway.
They have always done a number of things to make the fans feel involved such as having town hall meetings to keep them posted on the rebuild that went on a few years back, generous giveaways such as the popular “Shirts off their Backs” promotion that sees every Penguins’ player give away his game used jersey to a fan during a post-game ceremony following the final home game of the regular season and much more.
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Tags: evgeni+malkin, jordan+staal, marc+andre+fleury, nhl, season+tickets, sidney+crosby, special+delivers,
Crosby on the Mend
by Alanah McGinley on 09/07/11 at 12:01 PM ET
Comments (36)
From Sean Gordon at the Globe & Mail:
“Mentally, I feel good, the last three weeks it’s the best I’ve felt so far . . . it’s been a tough road, but retirement? No,” said Crosby, who reportedly had a brisk practice skate at the Consol Energy Centre before the news conference.
Crosby said he’s felt very close to being himself at various points in his recovery, but 90 per cent is not close enough to return.
“I’m not going to roll the dice . . . it’s important to get back to where I need to be and if not, we’ve seen it many times, you can get recurring issues,” Crosby said.
“You’ve got to listen to your body, you’ve to got listen to your doctors,” he added.
Asked by a reporter whether he’s been thinking about the possibility he may never be able to play again, Crosby smiled and said “it’s a pretty slight one.”
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Tags: press+conference, sidney+crosby,
Crosby Meets the Press - Video
by brianmetzer on 09/07/11 at 11:26 AM ET
Comments (31)
As we all know, Sidney Crosby meets the press this afternoon at 12:30pm. There isn’t a ton of insight into what will be discussed during the presser, but he is slated to give an update on his health after meeting with experts in both Michigan and Georgia following a reoccurance of concussion symptoms in August.
Though there is an update forthcoming, sources have told the Tribune Review’s Rob Rossi that there isn’t expected to be a major announcement regarding change in status. I will be live at the presser, but you can watch the feed below.
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Tags: concussions, nhl, sidney+crosby,
Strong Up the Middle
by Ian Gooding on 09/07/11 at 07:30 AM ET
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In my last article on left wings, a few of you mentioned the positional dilemmas that we seem to face when drafting forwards. This is a great point, since not only do position eligibilities change from league to league (eg. Yahoo/ESPN/CBS), but also from year to year. As well, we also need to keep our eye on forwards with dual position eligibility.
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Tags: Anze+Kopitar, Brad+Richards, Eric+Staal, Evgeni+Malkin, fantasy+hockey, Henrik+Sedin, Ian+Gooding, Jonathan+Toews, Nicklas+Backstrom, Ryan+Getzlaf, Ryan+Kesler, Sidney+Crosby, Steven+Stamkos, The+Goods,
Penugins release promotional schedule, Tickets on sale 09/16
by brianmetzer on 09/06/11 at 10:20 AM ET
Comments (3)
Over the next few days we will really be ramping up coverage here at FTPT, but in the interim I thought I would post the Penguins’ promotional schedule that just arrived in my inbox. There are a number of interesting items this year along with some old favorites such as “Schedule Mouse Pad” and “Team Calender.” The team will also finish their home schedule off with the very popular “Fan Appreciation Night,” in which the players give away the “shirts off of their backs.”
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Tags: NHL, Penguins, promotional+schedule, sidney+crosby,
Crosby Meets The Press Tomorrow
by Paul on 09/06/11 at 09:05 AM ET
Comments (10)
In case you do not follow me on Twitter, the Penguins announced today that Sidney Crosby will meet with the media tomorrow at 12:30pm.
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Ovechkin on Crosby
by Alanah McGinley on 08/29/11 at 01:58 PM ET
Comments (5)
From Dmitry Chesnokov at Yahoo!‘s Puck Daddy:
What can you say about Sidney Crosby who still cannot recover from the concussion? He may miss even this season.
“God willing it won’t be true. Right now Crosby is one of the best hockey players in the world. If he leaves, it will be a huge loss for people and for the sport in general. I will be very upset.”
But it was former Washington Capitals forward David Steckel who gave him the concussion. You are responsible for his action as his captain.
“It was an unintentional collision. One hundred percent! A game play. Moreover, the next game a Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman had a rough play against Crosby behind the net. You can’t get away from episodes like this in hockey.”
read on for discussion on the weight-gain issue, and other topics
*thanks to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette for the pointer
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Tags: alex+ovechkin, sidney+crosby,
NHL Hasn’t Done Enough About Head Shots
by Alanah McGinley on 08/25/11 at 01:12 PM ET
Comments (2)
From Adam Proteau at The Hockey News:
So a concussed MMA fighter sits out 90 days, but a concussed NHLer often returns to action the following game, or even the same night. Does that sound to you like a league that can claim to be progressive in its approach to head injuries? If it does, stop reading this column and immediately visit your doctor – you may be concussed yourself.
Now, it’s entirely possible that, even with a much more serious approach to concussion treatment and prevention, Crosby and any of the aforementioned players would’ve been caught up in the sticky web of concussions.
However, the fact of the matter is, had the NHL treated long-since-retired concussion victims as if they were the future of the sport, we might already have had a full-on ban on head shots many seasons ago and far fewer players might be dealing with head injuries today.
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Tags: concussions, sidney+crosby,
Concussion Experts Say Crosby Will Make A Full Recovery At Some Point
by Paul on 08/24/11 at 07:56 PM ET
Comments (10)
from PittsburghPenguins.com,
The latest steps in Sidney Crosby’s recovery from a concussion have been visits to leading specialists around the country to monitor his progress.
Their conclusion is that he will make a full recovery – it just takes time.
Crosby is expected to be back in Pittsburgh in the next few weeks, where he will continue to work toward a return to the ice, although no specific timetable has been set.
“I appreciate all the support I’ve received from my family, friends, teammates and fans and from the entire Penguins organization,” Crosby said. “I know they only want the best for my health, and for me to be fully ready when I return to game action.”
“We always knew this was going to be a progressive recovery – based on how he felt,” said Pat Brisson, Crosby’s agent. “With a concussion, there is not a finite recovery period like with a shoulder injury or a knee injury. That’s why we’ve never even set a specific goal for a return date like the start of training camp or Oct. 1 or anything else. He will play when he is symptom free.”
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Crosby Needs To Speak Up
by Paul on 08/24/11 at 06:35 AM ET
Comments (13)
from Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review,
Stop and think about this for a moment: The head coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins couldn’t tell anyone yesterday if his captain, the NHL’s preeminent player, was skating or not.
“I really don’t know,” Bylsma said.
That’s astonishing.
Bylsma also couldn’t narrow down Crosby’s whereabouts, other than to say, “I don’t think he’s home right now,” referring to Halifax, Nova Scotia.
The team owner and general manager Ray Shero don’t know, either. Lemieux told me he last spoke with Crosby two weeks ago. Crosby isn’t even in regular contact with his teammates, from what I’m hearing, certainly a lot less than in summers past. That’s why they don’t know any more than anyone else.
Am I the only one who finds fault with Crosby and/or his people on this front?
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Reasons For Crosby To Retire
by Paul on 08/23/11 at 08:08 AM ET
Comments (19)
from Cathal Kelly of the Toronto Star,
There are no goals left for him in the game. At best, all he achieves from now on is more of the same. He still has an entire life to lead after hockey, whether it ends tomorrow or in a decade. What’s in the balance is how capable he will be of leading it fully.
Ending a career this glorious so soon would be a kind of tragedy, if we can risk using that word.
It would be a huge blow to the player, and a transient one for his admirers. There will always be another hockey hero. That’s a constant. Hockey may think it needs Sidney Crosby, but it surely doesn’t need him crippled.
Will he return? Probably.
Should he? Ask Dave Scatchard in a few years time.
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Another Day, More Crosby Reports
by Paul on 08/22/11 at 05:51 PM ET
Comments (10)
from CTV News,
Pittsburgh Penguins superstar Sidney Crosby’s concussion symptoms have returned, and he may not be ready for the start of the NHL season, sources have told CTV Atlantic.
The Cole Harbour, N.S., native has not played a game since January 5, 2011, after he suffered his second hit to the head in less than a week.
Sources say Crosby’s concussion symptoms returned last week and he cancelled all of his scheduled on-ice workouts at a Halifax-area rink.
continue...
An AP report at ESPN says not true, according to Crosby’s agent Pat Brison who said his training has been adjusted to meet his needs for recovery..
Read the AP report at ESPN.
added 9:58pm, from Matthew Sekeres of the Globe and Mail,
Though it sounds as if Crosby’s camp is circling the wagons and concealing another setback, a concussion specialist said it is possible for athletes to experience symptoms months after the injury without necessarily suffering a setback.
Dr. Mark Aubry, the chief medical officer of the International Ice Hockey Federation and Hockey Canada, said it’s not that unusual for symptoms to linger up to two years, and to return when the injured athlete attempts to exercise.
“There will always be a small percentage of players … where the concussion symptoms will last longer than expected,” said Aubry, an Ottawa-Gatineau physician. “Some will settle overnight, some will last one to two years. There’s a wide range.”
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Tags: Sidney+Crosby,
Morning Line
by Paul on 08/20/11 at 08:11 AM ET
Comments (8)
Fans would hate to talk about Crosby in terms of what might have been rather than his performance up to the point of his brain injury. That’s how fans discuss Bobby Orr — pre-knee injury and post knee-injury. How good could Orr have been? We fear hearing how good could Crosby have been.
-Ken Gray of The Bulldog at the Ottawa Citizen where Gray suggests head shots, fighting and maybe even body contact be eliminated from the game.
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Tags: Sidney+Crosby,
Another Case For Number One
by Ian Gooding on 08/18/11 at 08:40 AM ET
Comments (10)
Is Sidney Crosby still the number one pick in fantasy leagues?
Mere hours after my posting suggesting that Crosby should be the first overall pick, Josh Rimer’s tweet about Crosby’s unlikeliness to be in the Penguins’ lineup to start the season was making the rounds.
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Tags: Alex+Ovechkin, Corey+Perry, Daniel+Sedin, fantasy+hockey, Henrik+Sedin, Josh+Rimer, Martin+Brodeur, Ray+Shero, Sidney+Crosby, Steven+Stamkos, Tim+Thomas,
Crosby’s Recovery Still A Mystery
by Paul on 08/18/11 at 07:40 AM ET
Comments (7)
from Joe Starkey of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review,
Yet, there they were again, in an email response I received from Crosby’s agent, Pat Brisson, on Wednesday. The question seemed simple enough: What are the symptoms Crosby has been experiencing this summer?
Headaches? Dizziness? Balance issues?
Penguins general manager Ray Shero was asked the same question Monday. His mind-boggling response: “I don’t know the exact symptoms.”
What? If the man running the franchise’s day-to-day operations — the man responsible for making contingency plans if Crosby is unable to start the season — doesn’t know, who does?
I figured Brisson was a good bet. I asked him to identify the symptoms.
Brisson’s reply: “Sidney progressed a lot this summer. As Ray mentioned, he had occasional symptoms here and there. Camp is in a month. We will know better then.”
So the mystery continues. Crosby’s ordeal has been shrouded in haziness since the moment he was leveled by David Steckel near the end of the second period of the Winter Classic.
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Tags: Sidney+Crosby,
