Crosby Out Indefinitely Dealing With Concussion

Added on Jan 12, 2011 by J Merrill in

NHL

Pittsburgh Penguins Center and Captain Sidney Crosby is still on the side lines as he is still dealing with the effects of the concussion he suffered. NHL.com is reporting that Crosby will be out indefinitely.

Crosby is currently the NHL scoring leader, and he hasn’t played since January 5. The last game he played was a 8-1 win over the the Tampa Bay Lightening, and although he finished the game, he sustained a concussion. He was hit and driven head first into the boards by Tampa Bay defenseman Victor Hedman.

Pittsburgh coach Dan Bylsma told the press before their game against Montreal that Crosby’s safety was the number one priority for the team and the club. He said “I believe he’s getting tested again this week, and he’s getting better, but we’re not going to progress forward until the symptoms subside.” He continued “I actually sense a determination to win hockey games without him. We’re a good hockey team. We have good players, and those players in there want to prove it.”

Crosby said he hopes the NHL continues to focus on the issues of blindside hits, and he hopes they pay attention to how they affect the game in the long run. He said “I know it’s a fast game, and I think if anybody understands it’s a fast game. I’ve been hit a thousand times. But when you get hit like that, there’s nothing you can do. There’s no way you can protect yourself. Those are things that hopefully the NHL pays more attention to.”

The injured Crosby also said he hopes they take a look at these plays specifically, as he feels they merit the attention of the NHL. He said “You talk about head shots and dealing with them, and that’s been something that’s been pretty big points of interest with everybody GMs and players. When I look at those two hits. I mean, we talk about blindside, and that’s a big word unsuspecting player, there’s no puck there, and direct hit to the head on both of them. If you want to go through the criteria, I think they fit all those.”

With Crosby on the bench, this opens up an opportunity for Mark Letestu who will be taking the place of Crosby until he returns. Everyone, including Letestu, feel that replacement is probably not the right word, because Crosby will be right back in when he is cleared to play. Letestu said “It’s an opportunity for me to show I can play there. Obviously when (Crosby) comes back he’ll step back in there, but hopefully it gives them some peace of mind that I can step in there and fill that role.”

Below is the video of the Hedman hit: