The Pittsburgh Penguins have announced that their star center Sidney Crosby will be on the sidelines when the team kicks off their 2021-22 NHL campaign. Crosby, who is the Penguins’ captain, is recovering from wrist surgery and will be out six weeks at best.
The news was confirmed by the team’s general manager Ron Hextall, who revealed that Crosby had a lingering wrist injury for “numerous years”. He previously underwent less-invasive procedures to deal with the issue but ultimately decided together with the Penguins that surgery was the best way to go if he wants to return to full form.
“It takes weeks to figure out where the wrist is at and if it could get through another year,” said Hextall according to the team’s official social media. “The conclusion that we came to was this procedure was the best way to proceed.”
If everything goes as planned, the Penguins would be without Crosby for just a handful of games. They play their season opener on October 12th against the Tampa Bay Lighting, while the 34-year-old star is scheduled to return later that month.
Sidney Crosby is coming off a productive 2020-21 season in which he helped the Penguins win the East Division. The two-time Hart Trophy winner played 55 games during the regular part of the campaign and contributed with 24 goals and 38 assists for a total of 62 points. Crosby added a goal and assisted in the first-round playoff exit against the New York Islanders.
