Massive Sidney Crosby injury update surfaces in Pittsburgh

The Pittsburgh Penguins captain suffered a highly concerning upper-body injury during the tense Olympic quarterfinals exactly two weeks ago.

That brutal physical setback forced the veteran superstar to miss the remaining 3 games of the international tournament entirely.

Absolute panic immediately set in across the entire Steel City fan base when he left the ice. But the legendary 38-year-old center is already defying standard medical timelines with an incredibly rapid natural recovery process.

He was officially spotted skating at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry early this morning. He worked strictly with a single developmental staff member and a backup practice goaltender.

This unexpected visual evidence is a massive relief for a desperate Pittsburgh front office currently sitting just 2 points out of a final Eastern Conference wildcard spot.

The absolute most encouraging sign from the Wednesday morning skate is that he did not seem physically limited by the injury at all.

And he was noticeably moving with blinding speed, aggressively making sharp turns, and crossing over fluidly in both directions along the offensive blue line.

He spent the intense session doing extensive stickhandling drills, and shooting drills directly on the net.

Career-wise, Crosby has built an ironclad, legendary reputation for attacking his physical rehabilitation with completely unmatched intensity.

Pittsburgh relies heavily on his impressive 65 points in 58 games this season to single-handedly drive their entire transition game forward.

Because they desperately need his crisp passing to ensure opposing penalty kill units are frequently held scoreless during tight checking matchups.

Seeing him physically display that exceptionally high level of solid execution on the practice ice heavily hints at a highly anticipated early return to action.

Getting Crosby back into the lineup will be a big boost for the Penguins, especially considering they are struggling to hold onto a playoff spot without him right now.

Also read on Blade of steel :
Tyler Myers officially traded in pre-deadline unexpected move