This is still the time to be cautious. Crosby has had multiple concussions, and a big part of what makes him great exposes him to the risk of more concussions: his speed, the way he drives to the net, the way he battles below the goal line.
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"I can confirm that Sid did skate this morning and that he's in the process of rehabbing," Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. "We'll just leave it at that. It's a day-to-day process, and we're taking each day as it comes."
Crosby, who won the Conn Smythe Trophy when the Penguins won the Stanley Cup last year and is a finalist for the Hart Trophy this season, left 5:24 into Game 3 on Monday. He drove to the net on a 2-on-1, Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin knocked him off balance and Washington defenseman Matt Niskanen cross-checked him in the head.
Sullivan said Crosby would be evaluated overnight; the coach announced on Tuesday the Pittsburgh captain had a concussion.
The only way we know Crosby attended Game 4 on Wednesday is the Penguins posted a short video of their postgame celebration on their Twitter feed; it shows Crosby dressed in a suit and standing by the stick rack congratulating teammate Patric Hornqvist, who was returning to the locker room.
The Penguins were off Thursday. They put up extra black curtains and barred reporters from their practice rink in suburban Cranberry, Pennsylvania, but Crosby was visible through cracks in the curtain going through drills in full gear with teammates Carl Hagelin and Conor Sheary, according to dkpittsburghsports.com. Crosby did not speak to reporters. Sullivan did not say much.
"I'm not going to elaborate on the process he's going through," Sullivan said. "We really rely on our medical staff in that regard. These guys advise us, and they're very good at what they do, and so he is in the process right now and will continue to be, and it will be a day-to-day evaluation."