Presser Analysis: Crosby calls playing this season “likely” but return still a long ways away

Doctors indicated today that they believe Sidney Crosby is making “significant progress” of late and Crosby backed up those statements. “Mentally I feel good, ” Crosby said on his condition. “This is the best I’ve felt in a long time. “The last three weeks have been really good. I feel myself getting better and better.”

Dr. Michael Collins see’s a big improvement from Crosby, claiming that he evaluated Crosby yesterday and said “it’s the best he’s seen him.”

Despite the good steps Crosby is making in the past couple weeks, what to take away from today’s media session is that Crosby is likely still several months away from returning to game action.

While the Penguins captain called it “more likely” than not that he will play this upcoming season, Crosby also admitted he is still dealing with “headaches”.

Where he is right now in his rehab process is in a “reconditioning stage”, Dr. Collins said. Collins indicated that the priority right now is “getting Sid reconditioned”, measuring that with impact over time than integrating light to moderate contact.

Collins though made it clear that integrating light contact is a ways away and they are nowhere close to that right now.

“We’ll introduce contact in a careful way, ” Collin said. Colins said that there is no timetable for that and they will just know when he is ready.

The doctors, Crosby and the Penguins will continue to be extremely cautious and that means Crosby stepping on the ice for another NHL game is going to be a while down the road this season.

It is the right approach and something that will not be altered no matter what. Crosby said he has no intentions of “rolling the dice” like we’ve seen from some other NHLer’s in the past.

“I’m not going to roll the dice, ” Crosby said. “It’s important to get back to where I need to be and if not, we’ve seen it many times, you can get recurring issues. You’ve got to listen to your body and you’ve to got listen to your doctors.”

Before any talk of integrating contact, Crosby has to get through strenuous skates and practices with teammates to show he can deal with the motions of playing hockey without any kind of symptoms. That’s the first big step he has to overcome in the coming weeks and months. It’s obviously something that was a struggle last April and again in late July, early August.

Pens GM Ray Shero is willing to wait it out. “Sid will be worth the wait, ” Shero said. He won’t be rushed and we’re pleased with his progress.”

Canadian reporters today were all about the retirement question. Crosby obviously shrugged it off, calling the chances a “pretty slight one”, that he will never play another NHL game.