The Pittsburgh Penguins have been one of the surprise teams in the National Hockey League this season despite widespread projections prior to the campaign that they would come nowhere close to a postseason spot.
However, there’s a chance that they may have to trudge forward as they did following the resumption of the schedule following the Olympic break earlier this month, without their most important player.
Penguins captain Sidney Crosby, who already missed three weeks of play following the Olympics because of an injury, was shaken up during Thursday evening’s tilt against the Ottawa Senators and departed.
Not only that, but the Penguins have now officially ruled him out for the remainder of the night, a worrying sign for the leader who had only recently returned from an injury that kept him sidelined for multiple weeks.
Before departing, Crosby had skated in exactly nine shifts and played 6:39 of ice time.
The Pittsburgh Penguins Announced Sidney Crosby Will Miss The Rest Of Thursday’s Game
Crosby got tangled up with a Senators player and skated toward the Penguins’ bench, appearing to favor his right leg.
He then departed for the dressing room, and it wouldn’t be long before the Penguins announced that his night was over.
Despite Crosby missing several games following the Olympics, the Penguins have not only managed to stay afloat but also keep a favorable position in the standings. Entering Thursday’s contest against the Senators, they were third overall in the Metropolitan Division, a far cry from most projections before the season that had them finishing near the bottom of the Eastern Conference.
Not only that, but they also managed to do so during a recent five-game suspension of Evgeni Malkin.
Sidney Crosby Was Injured With Team Canada During The Olympics
Crosby, who was once again named the captain of Team Canada’s roster for the Milan-Cortina Olympics in February, suffered a Grade 2 MCL injury during his team’s dramatic overtime victory over Czechia.
While he badly wanted to play in the gold medal contest against Team USA, he was ultimately unable to suit up. Following Team USA’s dramatic overtime victory to secure their first Olympic gold medal since 1980, Crosby had to reluctantly watch them celebrate as he and his teammates accepted their silver medals.
Not long after returning to Pittsburgh, the Penguins announced that Crosby was expected to miss up to a month while recovering from his injury. However, he managed to return to the ice a bit earlier than anticipated.
On Thursday, Crosby was appearing in his fifth game since returning from the injury, and he was back to his old ways, having registered a point in each of them.
Crosby, whom the Penguins selected with the first overall pick in the 2005 NHL Draft, has continued to show that age is merely a number. Through his first 60 games of the 2025-26 NHL season, he’s registered 28 goals with 36 assists, and is now on pace to reach 74 points in 69 games played – that is, if he doesn’t miss any further time following this latest setback.
Worrying Health Update On Penguins Captain Sidney Crosby Released