Crosby, Dumoulin and Sullivan Made Their Returns vs. Washington

COVID affects everybody differently, and unfortunately, the Penguins have had a lot of experience with the virus so far this season.
The most recent members of the organization to go through it were head coach Mike Sullivan, captain Sidney Crosby and defenseman Brian Dumoulin, who all returned for Sunday's 6-1 loss to Washington after completing their protocol.

The players jumped right in after clearing the final stage and skating for the first time on their own on Saturday before meeting the team in DC for the game.
"I think given the circumstances, these guys that get back in the lineup, they're fighting hard to try to bring their best games," Sullivan said.
It's been a particularly tough start to the year for Crosby, who missed the first seven games after undergoing offseason wrist surgery. After making his debut on Oct. 30 vs. New Jersey, Crosby was added to the NHL's COVID-19 Protocol List and was sidelined for another five contests.
"It's his second game in five months, six months," Sullivan said. "So I think we have to understand where he's at. He's coming off a difficult 10 days that he just went through. I thought he played hard tonight under real challenging circumstances. There's no doubt in my mind he'll get better and better as each day goes by here with each game he plays."
Crosby experienced more severe symptoms than Dumoulin, who said he had a head cold and runny nose the night of the first day following his positive test that carried over into the second day. From there, he lost his smell, which came back on about the sixth or seventh day.
"After that, I didn't feel any symptoms," the blueliner said. "So it's definitely long. It was tough, not being out with the team and seeing them play and stuff. Just want to try to get out there and try to help them be back with team stuff."
For Sullivan, he said the first 4-5 days were difficult, but that he was able to overcome some of his more severe symptoms.
"It was a tough few days, I'll tell you that, but I'm feeling a lot better now," Sullivan said. "It's taken a little while to get to get over it. Now it's just a matter of just getting the energy level back. But I'm grateful that I'm back."
When asked if he felt well enough to yell at his TV, the head coach - who's known for his intense demeanor - admitted before the game with a smile that there might have been "a few expletives." While the players have missed games before due to injury, being away from the team during the season was a new experience for Sullivan, and one that he doesn't want to have again.
"It's not the same when you're trying to watch it from the other side of the television screen in your living room," Sullivan said. "Obviously those of us that that are part of this Penguins organization, we care a lot, so we're all invested. And the hardest part about not being a part of it is you just don't have a whole lot of control when you're in your living room. And that's the worst feeling of all."
Sullivan stayed involved as much as he could, and remained in constant communication with assistant coaches Todd Reirden and Mike Vellucci, along with skills and skating development coach Ty Hennes, during games and between periods using WebEx video conferencing. On the off days, Sullivan participated in their meetings virtually as well.
"I shared my observations from afar in trying to try to help the decision-making process, whether it be line combinations, defense pairs, or just an approach on a given day," Sullivan said. "I thought Todd and Mike and those guys, all the coaches, did a terrific job under unique and difficult circumstances."
The Penguins host Buffalo for their Pride Game on Tuesday before they head to Canada to play Montreal on Thursday. Sullivan said it's his understanding that he may not be able to coach there, because quarantine rules are different in Canada than they are in the U.S.
"I guess I got to I got to do the math with our medical staff, and I don't know the technicality, the exact day. But it's my understanding that I won't be able to coach in Montreal," said Sullivan, who isn't sure of the players' status, since the team said they had entered the protocol on Nov. 1 while he entered on Nov. 4.
One thing is for sure, however - the Penguins need to find a way to get back on track after a tough weekend back-to-back set, where they fell 5-3 to Ottawa on Saturday before Sunday's setback in Washington.
"We're going to be playing a lot of games here coming up," Dumoulin said. "We want to feel good about ourselves and start playing some better hockey. And I know it's in us. I know we have it. We've shown it. And it's something that we have to start bringing to the table."