Reports indicate that Sidney Crosby plans to meet with doctors Tuesday morning to determine whether or not he can get cleared for contact. Even if he’s cleared, the word is that Crosby won’t be able to play against the Florida Panthers tonight, but this is still potentially huge news (and not just for the people who drafted him in fantasy hockey leagues).
Forgive the speculation, but it would be awfully interesting if Crosby accomplished the far-flung task of returning by Thursday. If he did that, Crosby would face the team that probably injured him: the Washington Capitals. He’ll have to wait to play against the Toronto Maple Leafs (David Steckel) on Oct. 29 and Tampa Bay Lightning (Victor Hedman) on Nov. 17 to face the players who landed those concussive shots on him, though.
The more likely scenario is that he’ll need a couple weeks or so to return if he gets cleared for contact, although with most concussion situations, it’s anyone’s guess.
There’s no guarantee that the results of his visit will be positive enough to spring him back into near-future action, but this is one of the more optimistic moments in Crosby’s hopeful comeback. He reportedly hasn’t missed a practice since Sept. 17, so it certainly seems like he’s headed in the right direction.
We’ll keep an eye out for updates about Crosby and his fellow injured teammate Evgeni Malkin, who sat out Oct. 9’s game against the Edmonton Oilers with a “lower body injury.”
