NHL’s best player set to return to the game

by Trail Champion ... on 20 Nov 2011

The hockey world will be sitting on the edge of their seats Monday night when the world’s best player returns to the ice.

After nearly a year of watching, Sidney Crosby is finally ready to play.

The Pittsburgh Penguins star, who has been out of the lineup since January with a concussion, will play his first game of the NHL season when the Penguins host the New York Islanders at Consol Energy Center on Monday night.

Crosby has been skating with the team for two months, but didn’t get final medical clearance until meeting with team doctors on Sunday. Crosby didn’t speak to the media after the team announced the news, but Penguins head coach Dan Bylsma said his star player is eager to contribute again.

“I would liken it to the sound you hear, the voice of players that are going to go play in their first National Hockey League game,” Bylsma said in a conference call on Sunday. “He’s excited, he’s anxious and he’s been wanting to play hockey for a long time.”

Crosby, the Penguins captain, hasn’t played since Jan. 5 after he was concussed twice in a week. He was blindsided by Washington Capitals forward David Steckel during the Winter Classic on New Year’s Day. Days later, he was checked into the end boards by Tampa Bay’s Victor Hedman.