Sidney Crosby To Return Against New York Rangers

The Trib’s Josh Yohe tweets that Penguins captain Sidney Crosby will return to game action Saturday night in New York against the Rangers. The Pens’ official Twitter account confirms this:

BREAKING NEWS: Sidney Crosby will play Thursday against the New York Rangers. #Pens

Crosby has been out since December 5 with concussion symptoms that have consumed much of his past two seasons, and also an injury in the soft tissue of his neck. After nearly a year-long absence, Crosby returned to the Pens on November 21 and instantly changed the dynamic of his team, posting two goals and two assists against the New York Islanders in his first game back and racking up 12 points in eight games.

This time, the Penguins are already on a nine-game winning streak, so adding Crosby just makes them that much more formidable. That’s a good thing, too, because in addition to starting the playoffs in about a month, they have a tough string of games ahead against the Rangers, Devils and Flyers.

The Penguins cleared Crosby for contact last week, with the idea that he would return shortly, and that his return would be announced a day before the game when it would take place. That’s exactly what happened.

For more on the Penguins, check out PensBurgh, which already has its comments on Crosby’s return:

Crosby’s latest return will be a shot in the arm for a team that has won nine straight games and is trying to make ground on the first place Rangers. With the playoffs starting in four weeks, the Pens could be major contenders if Crosby and defenseman Kris Letang (also suffering from his second concussion of the season) can be 100% and stay in the lineup.

Sidney Crosby Injury Update: Pittsburgh Penguins' Star Cleared For Full Contact Drills, Return Still Unknown

More: Crosby cleared for contact

Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby has been cleared to take part in full contact drills according to an article posted on the Penguins official website. The Penguins' star has been out of action since Dec. 6 of last year with concussion-like symptoms and a neck injury. Crosby himself says that he has been symptom free for a few days.

I've been through this before. Contact is the big step. It's nice to be symptom free, but it's not as fulfilling until you get out there. I just want to make sure that I take the right steps here and get back out there soon

The current plan for Crosby is to try and make it through the next couple of days with contact before they make any estimation as to when he will return to game action. Crosby has played in eight games this season and totaled 12 points in that span before his most recent injury.

For the latest on Sidney Crosby's injury status, be sure to stay tuned to SB Nation Pittsburgh.

Sidney Crosby Can Now Work On His Neck, Get Healthy

Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby has been dealing with concussion symptoms for well over a year and there were fears that he also had a neck and spinal injury. After getting multiple opinions from other doctors, it has now been determined that he has a neck issue to go along with his concussion symptoms, but it is something that can be treated. "As of right now from consulting with different doctors, it's hard to pinpoint when it happened," Crosby said when asked when the injury occurred.

A lot of the questions from the media were concerning the Penguins medical staff and if Crosby was dissatisfied with his treatment. "No, I think the team has been very encouraging," Crosby said. "There's not a lot of answers with this kind of stuff. The more information you can gather the better and that's what they (Penguins) encourage." He was also asked if the whole situation made it difficult as far as who to trust now medically, "That's always the case." Crosby added, "That's something that I've learned through this process. That's not because any other reason than people want to help and they're giving their opinion to help and you have to take that information and put it all together."

Crosby was asked if the news about his injury was encouraging, "Yeah, I think the biggest thing to take from it is it's something I can work on." Crosby continued, "I can come in and get my neck worked on. It's a pretty big possibility that was causing some of the issues. I hope with some treatment it can Improve. Instead of sitting around at home and hoping to get better, it's nice to know you can come in and work on it."

"From what I've been told it's been something pretty commonly linked with concussions," Crosby said of his neck issues. "In a way, that's encouraging because there's no magic to get rid of it." Crosby has been able to get on the ice and get back to skating, though. "It's been pretty good," Crosby said about getting back on the ice. "Like i said I'm still dealing with some symptoms, but I feel much better than I did a couple weeks ago skating. The motion stuff is still there, but it's still not where I want to be."

Penguins general manager Ray Shero shot down a question about Crosby's career being in jeopardy, "There's never been an indication from any doctor to shut down for season or retire. We're trying get him on ice safely." Shero added, "He will not return to play until those symptoms disappear."

For the latest on Sidney Crosby's injury status, be sure to stay tuned to SB Nation Pittsburgh.

Sidney Crosby Injury Update: Penguins Say Captain Has 'Soft-Tissue Injury Of The Neck'

The Pittsburgh Penguins released a statement on the status of injured center Sidney Crosby on Tuesday afternoon. Here is an except.

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

The statement goes on to say Crosby was examined by Dr. Alexander Vaccaro of Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia on Monday morning and that the injury is treatable. Crosby is expected to return action when he is symptom free, according to the statement. No timetable for the 24-year old team captain's return was given.

Sportsnet Ontario's Bob McCowan reported on Saturday that a Utah specialist found an abnormaility with Crosby's C1 and C2 vertebrae and that Crosby's camp would seek another opinion. Vaccaro's review would appear to be that opinion.

The team is expected to hold a news conference to address Crosby's status at 6:15 p.m. on Tuesday. Stay tuned to SB Nation Pittsburgh for updates from the presser.

Sidney Crosby Injury Update: Penguins' Captain Has Vertebrae Injuries, According To Report

Penguins center Sidney Crosby has been out of action since Dec. 5 with concussion-like symptoms, and now, Sportsnet Ontario is reporting his injuries may be more extensive.

On HOCKEY CENTRAL Saturday, Bob McCown of Sportsnet 590 The Fan reported that Crosby was concerned about the treatment he was receiving in Pittsburgh, so he saw a specialist in Utah where an MRI indicated that there was an abnormality with Crosby's C1 and C2 vertebrae.

The Prime Time Sports host said he learned of the news on Wednesday and said there were two unnamed sources close to the situation that he was in contact with.

On his Twitter account, McCown says in a series of tweets that Crosby's Pittsburgh doctors missed the vertebrae injuries and that the the 24-year old center is unhappy with them. He's been seeing specialists across the country lately, including the one in Utah that reportedly noticed the injury.

McCown said it is unclear if Crosby suffered a second concussion after being hit by Boston's David Krejci on Dec. 5, but that doctors expect him to heal in time for the playoffs.

Meanwhile, ESPN's Craig Custance reports Penguins general manager Ray Shero had this to say about Crosby's status on Tuesday. He seems to like Crosby's chances of returning this season, too, though he's cautiously optimistic.

"Hopefully we'll see next week as to where he is and we'll get the reports from California and compare notes to what's been done so far," Shero said following the Board of Governors meeting. "We want to continue to look to see how we can get this under control and manageable so he can return to play."

...

"Let's just see what happens this week once we get some more information from his trip to California," Shero said. "I'm optimistic he's going to play."

Below is video of McCown talking with Sportsnet.

For the latest on Sidney Crosby's injury status, be sure to stay tuned to SB Nation Pittsburgh.

Photo: Pittsburgh Penguins Support Sidney Crosby With Captain's Cs During Morning Skate

When Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby took the ice for the final minutes of his team's morning skate Friday, he was the only player not wearing a captain's C on his sweater. In a show of support for their injured captain, the Penguins elected to wear Cs on their uniforms. Here's an image, via PensInsideScoop:

Though a nice gesture in any context, the Pens' choice here is especially noteworthy given Friday's report by Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, in which the scribe cited three sources saying "a group of players held a 45-minute meeting to discuss a temporary captaincy," as some of Crosby's teammates believe "that he's been symptom-free for a while."

As Travis Hughes of SB Nation NHL writes, that report "painted a picture of a disjointed team going through some very difficult struggles, perhaps covertly blaming the injury of their best player as to why they've fallen out of playoff position." Pittsburgh has lost six straight games to fall to No. 4 in the Atlantic Division.

Crosby has played just eight games since suffering a concussion on Jan. 5, 2011.

For more on the Penguins, please visit PensBurgh, SB Nation's Penguins blog.

Sidney Crosby Injury Update: Pittsburgh Penguins Star Addresses Media, Is 'Allowed To Lightly Exert'

Pittsburgh Penguins superstar Sidney Crosby addressed the media for the first time in nearly a month Friday to give an update on the status of the concussion-like symptoms which have kept him off the ice since he absorbed a hard hit during a Dec. 5 game against the Boston Bruins. Crosby took part in the final minutes of the Pens' morning skate in advance of Friday's game against the Florida Panthers and said he's progressed to the point where he is "allowed to lightly exert," a development which he termed "positive."

"[The] symptoms are a lot better," Crosby said, "but I wouldn't say symptom-free."

Crosby initially suffered a concussion on Jan. 5, 2011, against the Tampa Bay Lightning. He didn't return to the ice for the rest of the 2010-11 season, instead making his debut on Nov. 21, scoring two goals and tallying two assists.

Though Pittsburgh got off to an 8-2-2 start without its captain, it's gone 13-15-2 since and has lost six straight games, dropping it to fourth in the Atlantic Division, four points away from the New Jersey Devils and 12 behind the Atlantic-leading New York Rangers.

For more on the Penguins, please visit PensBurgh, SB Nation's Penguins blog.

Sidney Crosby Injury: Penguins And Fans Need To Have Patience, Says Dejan Kovacevic

Sidney Crosby Injury Update: Crosby To Skate, Meet With Media

There's no indication that the Penguins star will return soon, but this appears to be a step in the right direction.