Will He Play

By Michael Shea
The question on every Penguins fan mind right now is will Sidney Crosby be ready to start the season. Over the last few weeks, GM Ray Shero has had to answer countless questions coming from Internet speculation as to whether his captain will be ready by the start of training camp. And really nobody can blame Sidney if he isn't ready to start the season based on some of the tragic events that have hit the NHL this offseason.
It's worrisome that Crosby is still feeling the effects of his injury this late in the summer. There is no doubt that he is the face of the NHL in many respects, and his injury not only is causing problems with the Penguins, but the entire league. The most marketable player in the game needs to be on the ice to sell the game to common fans. I'm willing to bet every report of a Crosby headache make Gary Bettman reach for his own bottle of aspirin. The facts are Sidney is a 24 year old with a serious injury, and his uncertain future casts a long shadow on the new NHL television contract.
There is little doubt from the reports the Shero and head coach Dan Bylsma have given that Sid will be back at some point this year, just don't expect him in early October. As recently as last week, Shero as much admitted that Sid has had some this summer, but hasn't had to shut himself down completely. By all indications, they will be in no rush to suit him up for any October or November games. The rest of the team led by Evgeni Malkin and Jordan Staal should be enough to carry the Penguins through the early months if Sid is not ready.
The first step for Crosby will be training camp. If he gets cleared for light contact, you can bet that he will be out on the ice with his teammates. He can get back in the groove, take a few bumps from his guys and see how he responds. Or, he may just skip camp all together, and work out on his own missing some of the early parts of the year. Nobody knows for sure other than Sid, and right now, he's not talking. Stay tuned.
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