Pens waiting on Crosby's health status

[germany00]

The Pittsburgh Penguins may not fully know Sidney Crosby's health status until training camp begins, but they are encouraged with the star center 's recovery from a concussion, according to coach Dan Bylsma.

Bylsma said Tuesday while attending the team's annual charity golf tournament that he is "hoping" Crosby will be ready to go for the start of camp in mid-September.

"Sidney's progressed nicely this summer, he's had a long summer, he's worked out in June and July," Bylsma said. "We're hoping for Sidney to come back in and be ready to go for training camp. I know he's worked out more now than he has probably the last three summers."

Penguins general manager Ray Shero confirmed last week that the 24-year-old Crosby was experiencing post-concussion symptoms, although he did not know specifically what they were. The symptoms occurred when Crosby began accelerating his workouts.

When Crosby was forced to stop practicing during the Penguins' first-round playoff loss to Tampa Bay in April, he said the symptoms predominantly were headaches.

In an attempt to refute media speculation that Crosby has stopped skating and might not be ready for the start of the season in October, Crosby's agent, Pat Brisson issued a statement Monday saying that, "Sidney hasn't been shut down by anyone, He has simply adjusted his summer program according to the different needs for the appropriate recovery."

 

[DJT]

Man was it one super hard concussion or the build up from several? Cause he's been out a loooonnnnngggg time.

 

[germany00]

Man was it one super hard concussion or the build up from several? Cause he's been out a loooonnnnngggg time.

They think he had a concussion from the winter classic with that cheap shot, than he kept playing and the next day he had a headshot too, so pretty much 2 seperate concussions.

 

[DJT]

Man, they must have been bad cause most people are back within a few weeks.

 

[snipezo]

Hope he can recover quickly. Pens are gonna need him.

 

[germany00]

Same, must be frustrating having projected over 130 points halfway through the season than get an injury like that

 

[Mr.Baller]

Not only the pens but the hole NHL needs him .

 

[germany00]

I agree

 

[germany00]

Just got this in from NHL network

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."

 

[playmaker7]

When Crosby comes back

You will all pay

Especially Washington and Tampa...

 

[firemal]

Sucks to see him gone..I hope he can return by December at the latest.

 

[Star King3]

I'd rather see him take a whole year and come back next season so he doesnt get fucked up like Savard did. I mean yeah, he is probably the best active player, but why risk it?

 

[firemal]

I'd rather see him take a whole year and come back next season so he doesnt get fucked up like Savard did. I mean yeah, he is probably the best active player, but why risk it?

Good point. Although If hes already doing workouts and everything, I dont think it will take a year for him to come back.

 

[germany00]

because the more he plays, the more money he will be worth at the end of his contract. Its always about the money

 

[Star King3]

Good point. Although If hes already doing workouts and everything, I dont think it will take a year for him to come back.

True, but thats the same as Savard too

because the more he plays, the more money he will be worth at the end of his contract. Its always about the money

True there, its ALL money.

 

[dh1333]

PITTSBURGH -- Sidney Crosby's health issues are making for a very unsettled late Pittsburgh summer.

Nearly a quarter-century since "The Mysteries of Pittsburgh" was a best-selling book, the region's hockey fans are dealing with another riddle wrapped inside an enigma. One that clearly has them worried.

How badly is Crosby still hurting after sustaining what appeared to be multiple concussions only days apart in January? Will his lengthy layoff stretch into the new season? And when No. 87 finally does play, will he again be hockey's best player?

Penguins fans got a glimpse behind the scenes Wednesday when the team said in a statement that Crosby has been seeing concussion specialists around the United States in an effort to monitor his progress.

The Penguins expect Crosby to be back in Pittsburgh for a few weeks, although no specific timetable has been set for his return to the ice.

"I appreciate all the support I've received from my family, friends, teammates and fans and from the entire Penguins organization," Crosby said in the statement. "I know they only want the best for my health, and for me to be fully ready when I return to game action."

Crosby still hasn't said anything publicly about his persistent post-concussion symptoms. Some of Crosby's own teammates are privately wondering why they aren't getting more information.

"I can't wave a wand and tell you how it's going to play out," said Penguins coach Dan Bylsma, who said the team might not get a true reading of Crosby's status until training camp starts in mid-September.

At a time of year when Pittsburghers generally are focused on the soon-to-start Steelers season -- the revered franchise has appeared in three of the last six Super Bowls -- many are on edge because Crosby still isn't healthy eight months after being hurt.

The lack of any clear prognosis only adds to the puzzle. So does the secrecy, which resembles that during the multiple medical ailments of Mario Lemieux's brilliant but oft-interrupted career in Pittsburgh.

Lemieux's former teammate, Bryan Trottier, a Hall of Famer himself, calls Crosby's situation "scary."

"I'm worried," said Brian Smith, a 23-year-old Duquesne University graduate school student and Penguins fan from Pittsburgh.

"I worked in the concussion lab at my undergrad school, and concussions can be serious, especially when you've gotten two in a row like that. They can really mess you up. He definitely needs to take his time. I want him to come back, but I don't want him to ruin the rest of his life."

While at Penn State, the kinesiology student helped test football players with concussions. Most showed considerable improvement within a week or two. But Smith fears Crosby's case is less predictable because it now appears the Penguins captain had concussions in separate games four days apart in January.

Because Crosby showed no immediate signs of a concussion after being drilled by a blindside hit from the Capitals' David Steckel during the Winter Classic on Jan. 1 at Heinz Field, he stayed in the game. However, he was clearly woozy and shaken up following the hit.

Four nights later, Crosby received a concussion when his head whiplashed into the boards while being hit from behind by the Lightning's Victor Hedman. Crosby hasn't been cleared for contact, much less to play in a game, since then.

The Penguins were encouraged when Crosby -- the runaway leader in the NHL scoring race at the time he was hurt -- returned to practice in April, albeit without any contact. But he was forced to stop practising when his concussion symptoms returned during Pittsburgh's first-round playoff loss to Tampa Bay.

After being shut down for a few weeks, Crosby began skating again and resumed his strenuous off-season workouts in his native Nova Scotia. Bylsma was especially encouraged upon hearing that Crosby's sessions were even more demanding than those of recent years.

But as Crosby's workouts intensified to 90 per cent exertion, the headaches returned. According to Wednesday's statement from the Penguins, it was at this point Crosby's doctors and trainers altered his workouts accordingly.

He recently visited specialists in Michigan and Georgia.

"We've had him see leading specialists because we want to make sure he gets the best care possible," said Pat Brisson, Crosby's agent, in the statement. "The Penguins always encourage their players to get second and third medical opinions and have been very supportive of this. And we've been talking to (Pittsburgh GM) Ray Shero every step of the way."

It would seem unlikely that he would be ready to go for the start of training camp on Sept. 16. If there's much of a delay once camp opens, then the Oct. 6 opener at Vancouver becomes doubtful for a player who had won an NHL MVP award, a scoring title and the Stanley Cup by age 22.

"I don't have Sept. 16 on my calendar for him (Crosby), or Oct. 6. My only concern is his long-term health, keeping in mind he's a hockey player, a 24-year-old kid. I want him to feel good about himself," Shero said. "He'll be back at some point to play hockey. We'll see when he gets back, (we) get him evaluated, and go from there."

Bylsma also is trying to remain positive, saying, "Sidney's progressed nicely this summer, he's had a long summer."

What Penguins fans are concerned about is the possibility of a long winter should Crosby not be cleared to play.

The Penguins went 49-25-8 in 2010-11 despite playing half the season without both Crosby and former NHL scoring champion Evgeni Malkin (knee), but they lasted only a round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. A team built around its offence lost 1-0 to Tampa in Game 7.

"If he's not ready for the start of the season, I'm worried for the Penguins for sure," said Nick Barone, 20, a former hockey player for Bethel Park (Pa.) High School. "I don't think they could go a whole season without Crosby. A lot of people will be worried if Crosby's not out there."

A lot of people are worried now. The lack of information from both Crosby and is team is leading many to wonder if one of the most popular athletes in Pittsburgh history is in worse shape than is being said.

"The lack of information, and the potential misinformation, has fuelled the fire," said Pittsburgh talk show host Ken Laird. "We haven't heard from Sid since he left town and, while it's his off-season, they (the Penguins) seem to be unsure, too. And that leads a lot of fans to believe that they're hiding something or there's something deeper."

Neither Crosby nor the Penguins likely were encouraged upon hearing of Bruins forward Marc Savard's ongoing struggles with post-concussion syndrome.

Savard hasn't been the same since being levelled by Penguins forward Matt Cooke's blindside hit to the head on March 7, 2010, or a week to the day after Crosby's Olympic-clinching overtime goal for Canada against the United States in Vancouver.

"It's been a long road. ... I'm still suffering from a lot of daily issues," Savard told TSN earlier this month. "Right now, it's been a tough go. I'm trying to get through and not worry about hockey right now, just worry about my health."

Savard said he often is "a little foggy" in the morning and the hot sun -- or very bright light -- is especially troubling.

Such talk makes the issue of when an athlete will play again seem not quite so important. Even as athlete as gifted as Crosby, who was enjoying the best season of an already enviable career when he was hurt.

"Everybody wants him back as soon as possible, but we don't want to rush him and get himself in worse health than he is now," Smith said.

 

[dh1333]

PITTSBURGH - All-star forward Sidney Crosby has seen concussion specialists around the United States, the Pittsburgh Penguins said in a statement Wednesday.

The specialists have been monitoring Crosby's progress as he tries to shake headaches and other concussion symptoms.

The Penguins expect Crosby to be back in Pittsburgh for a few weeks, although no specific timetable has been set for his return to the ice.

"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."

Crosby suffered a concussion in early January and missed the rest of the 2010-11 season.

The 2007 NHL MVP made progress over the summer and took part in his normal off-season workout program that includes skating, shooting, stickhandling and off-ice work.

http://tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=374436

 

[germany00]

I dont think he'll miss that much of the season, they are just trying to be safe now