http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=348383Quote (TSN)
POST CONCUSSION SYNDROME WILL KEEP SIDNEY CROSBY OUT OF THE LINEUP FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE SEASON
TSN.ca Staff
1/7/2011 5::11 PM
The magical season for the NHL's leading scorer has come to an abrupt and painful end.
The Pittsburgh Penguins will be without their captain and leading scorer for the remainder of the season due to severe concussion symptoms caused by a hit on New Year’s day at the Winter Classic by Washington Capitals forward Dave Steckel. No penalty was called on the play, which could be categorized under the new blindside hit rule. The concussion kept Crosby out of the lineup in a 2-1 shootout loss to the Montreal Canadiens, and was at first believed to be a mild concussion and Crosby was only expected to miss a few games. This turns out to not be the case, as Crosby woke up this morning with symptoms of a severe concussion.
"We kept him out of last game for mostly precautionary reasons," explained Team Physician Charles Burke "It’s a shame Sidney will miss this much time but it could end his career if he was allowed" to play.
Sidney Crosby leads the NHL in points with 66 in 40 games and had a 25 game point streak. Crosby previously missed 29 games in his 20 year old season due to a high ankle sprain, though that was clearly not as serious as this. Many NHL stars have had their careers destroyed by concussions, most notably Eric Lindros.
"It's really disappointing for this to happen, considering how well we've been playing this year. But it’s for the best, we don't want Sidney to be affected for the rest of his career. Shutting him down for the season is the best thing we could do for him" said Penguins General Manager Ray Shero.
Penguins coach Dan Bylsma echoed these statements, "This is a massive blow to our team, Sidney is our heart and soul, no disrespect to our other players, but Sidney is our franchise. We'll pull through, and maybe Sidney can rejoin us for the playoffs.
Crosby will miss the upcoming All Star game on January 30th, where he was named to the team earlier this week after the results of fan voting.
More details to follow.
Wow, from 10 days to a season. I usually hate Crosby but this actually really sucks, he was having such a good season. Wish him well...