Pittsburgh is back to holding its collective breath. That's because the Penguins' superstar, Sidney Crosby, is sitting out for two games as a precaution.
Now there are some whispers the absence could be longer.
It was originally thought that it was a collision with teammate Chris Kunitz that seemed to be the problem. The two ran into each other at center ice and Crosby came up limping, but nothing involving his head.
After the game Crosby was sporting a nice red mark on his cheek that was so bright it could have led Santa's sleigh. Where did that come from? Mike Colligan at The Hockey Writers found another hit during the game that could be the issue, and it's a lot more concerning considering Crosby's nearly year-long battle with post-concussion symptoms. Have a look.
Here's what Penguins GM Ray Shero had to say when the initial announcement was made that Crosby would miss two games for precautionary reasons.
“Sidney took a hard hit during our game against Boston Monday night and wasn’t feeling 100 percent. 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.”
This is still likely precautionary. When you have a player as valuable as Crosby, you afford for extra caution. But in no way is it comforting for Penguins fans to hear he could be out longer than originally anticipated.
"It's been a long road back," Crosby said on Thursday, "and we want to err on the side of caution."
I do not want to say that Crosby is in the same boat, but I can't help but to think back to the preseason when the New York Rangers said they were withholding Marc Staal from the preseason games as a precaution. He still hasn't played this season for New York.
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