No Timetable, But Crosby Expects To Play
PITTSBURGH (KDKA-TV) -- Penguins Captain Sidney Crosby is back in Pittsburgh with his team; but it's still not clear what that means in terms of his return to the ice.
Crosby, who has been out of the lineup since January 5th after suffering a concussion, showed up to watch his teammates practice today.
Crosby told reporters that he's been getting better; but he couldn't speculate as to when he might be able to rejoin his team.
"I'm getting better. It's just slow. You know, that's the tough part," Crosby added. "Everything is, you know, improving; but it's just at a slower rate than I'd want it to be. But that's kind of something like I said before that's out of my control."
Given the uncertainty of his injury, the Penguins captain said he couldn't put a time frame on when he might be able to return to the lineup. "No timetable whatsoever. It's impossible to kind of gauge or, you know, really put a number of days or a timetable whatsoever."
When asked whether or not he'll be back before the end of the season, Crosby told KDKA-TV's Mike Zappone that he's hopeful and fully expects to play this year.
KDKA-TV's Mike Zappone: "Do you have any doubt that you'll play this year again? There were a lot of [rumors] out there that you might be done for the year."
Penguins Captain Sidney Crosby: "Geez I hope [I play this year].… That could happen; but am I sitting here packing it in? No. I hope I'm back and -- geez, I hope I play this year -- but that's the thing with these things, you don't know. There's no time frame like I said and I'm expecting to play this year."
As for the decision to leave town, Crosby said it was management's decision for him to get out of Pittsburgh. With the All-Star break and the team being on the road, team officials figured it would be better for him to get away from all the speculation and focus on his recovery.
"[The doctor] thought it might be better to go somewhere and relax, and not be asked about it," Crosby said in a report posted on the official Penguins website. "Clear your mind, to be able to relax and not worry about things and deal with those stresses, that does anybody well. Hopefully, that helped."
