icedog97

"Penguins Hockeybuzz Blog"

Pittsburgh, PA • United States • 48 Years Old • Male

Theory About Crosby

Ek wrote a good column about keeping Crosby off the ice for the rest of this season and the playoffs.

If we take what we know about Crosby's situation...and assume that his concussion has kept him out of action for this length of time, then Ek's points are well taken and what he recommends is probably the best plan of action...shut Crosby down.

I have a theory, which I am sure others have thought of too, that suggests MAYBE, the concussion wasn't what kept Sid out of action this long.

Now, I am not interested in tumors and alien visitations or anything like that. And I am not a conspiracy theorist, per say. I just think he may have suffered an injury that HAS a timeline...and that's what has kept him out for as long as he has been.

Let's look back...

Jan 1, Sid suffers the hit from Steckel. It was a bell ringer for sure. Classic glancing blow that often injures the brain. No doubt about it, Sid suffered some type of concussion.

A few days later, Sid is hit into the boards/glass by Hedman, face first. The impact was significant enough to put him on the injury list with a "mild concussion".

The normal protocol at this point is for teams to have the player evaluated by doctors and or specialists to see the extent of the damage. We can assume that one or more scans were done...-x-ray and CAT probably...to see what happened.

The Hedman hit, while the kind that can cause a concussion, is also the kind that can damage bones in the neck. Any time you have a force from behind the forces a whiplash type effect, bones can crack or break.

So let's say...for the sake of argument...they found that Sid had a fracture in a bone.

What would they do?

While they could announce this, it would also be easy enough to say he is still suffering from concussion symptoms and keep this aspect of the injury more low key.

In subsequent interviews with Sid and other team representatives, there were some vague references to an issue with his neck, but nothing concrete.

In those same follow-ups, there was never really a change on the original diagnosis. It wasn't as if they came out and said, he suffered a moderate or severe concussion...it stayed a mild concussion.

When Sid was asked if he spoke to any other players about concussions he mentioned on numerous occasions "no...not really" (to paraphrase). I know he keeps personal things pretty close to the vest, but this always seemed a bit odd to me.

Sid was away from the ice...and any kind of strenuous or jolting physical activity...for about 8 weeks. This is about the length of time (conservative approach) it takes bone to heal.

He returned to skating...although by himself and for short time periods...just this week.

So far...he has not suffered any setbacks.

Of course, everything I am suggesting is just me theorizing.

But, the explanation does seem to fit the facts.

Especially when you consider the fact that the team is even considering allowing him to play again this year/playoffs. I would think if his concussion was severe enough to keep him off the ice for 2 months, there is no way they would allow him to even entertain returning to game action. Would they?

On the other hand, if the concussion was mild...and bones just needed to time to heal...then what we are seeing would make a lot more sense...wouldn't it?

You tell me what you think...


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