By Kiley Fischer
Sports Editor
Penguins captain Sidney Crosby suffered the first concussion of his career in early January after two consecutive hits to the head on January 1 and January 5. He has not played since.
As of March 15, Crosby has been out of commission for over two months, but still sits sixth in goals overall and twelfth in points.
Not much was heard from Crosby in that time. He went home to Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia in February to spend some time away from hockey and rest up. Regarding the break, Crosby told Penguins’ writer Sam Kasan, “It’s not the easiest thing coming in everyday hoping to do something. It’s great that everyone asks how you’re doing, but it’s a constant reminder of the fact that you’re not playing and you’re injured.
“Sometimes it’s good to get away from that a bit. I had the opportunity to see my parents and hang out with them for a bit. It was more or less to get away from the everyday questions and that kind of thing,” said Crosby.
Not much else was heard concerning Crosby’s condition for the next month. Head coach Dan Bylsma finally refused to give updates on the star.
Crosby made the internet explode Monday when he took to the ice for the first time since January. “Sidney Crosby” was trending worldwide on Twitter. While he only skated for fifteen minutes and worked on some light stick and puck handling, the step is progress in the 23-year-old’s recovery.
When asked about his symptoms in the last few days, Crosby told Penguins’ media relations that “I had some good days here the last few, and was able to get on a bike and exercise a bit. I didn’t have any symptoms while doing that. I was given the opportunity to skate, the doctors said I could give it a try and see how I feel.”
Crosby doesn’t know if he’ll play again this year, however, his health is more important than a speedy return.