He’s played in just eight of Pittsburgh’s last 107 games. He could return to the ice Sunday afternoon.
Sidney Crosby is back skating with the Penguins, participating in full-contact drills. It’s a great sign for the fans of Pittsburgh and hockey in general.
I’ve gone through all of Crosby’s statistics and accolades before, so I won’t use space doing that again, but he did have four multi-point games in the eight he played this year. Numbers-wise, he’s been the best player in the NHL since he came into the league in 2005.
The Penguins currently have the second most points in the Eastern Conference, but are slated fourth because the division leaders occupy the top three spots. Evgeni Malkin is tied with Tampa Bay’s Steven Stamkos for the most points in the league at 81, and he has to be the front-runner for the Hart Trophy, given to the league’s MVP.
Getting Crosby back could make the Penguins the favorites in the East. They would be the deepest team offensively, and Marc-Andre Fleury is playing spectacular in goal. I wouldn’t pick anyone to beat them in a seven-game series.
But what if it doesn’t work out as planned?
Let’s say Crosby comes back Sunday, plays very well, the Pens win and everyone crowns them the best team in the East. Sounds nice. But in his third game back, he takes a hit in a corner (insert joke about Crosby being soft and never going into a corner here), and ends up having concussion-like symptoms. How can he ever play again? I say he can’t. One person can only take so many head injuries before you just have to call it quits.
That would be awful for the game of hockey. What if Kobe Bryant had a career-ending injury after winning his first championship with the Lakers and never played again. That’s what Crosby means to the NHL. That’s how good he is. And that’s how big of an impact he makes to the game of hockey.
I’m not a fan. I’ve made that clear in previous posts. But I’m never going to wish injury upon anyone. Except maybe LeBron. Fine, definitely LeBron. I truly hope Crosby comes back and can stay healthy. The NHL needs as much hype as it can get. I just hope the Penguins don’t win.
Good luck, Sid.
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