Sidney Crosby: More of the Same from Pittsburgh Penguins and Star Player

If you missed Sidney Crosby's press conference today, you didn't miss much.

He and his doctors were optimistic with the progress that Crosby has made from his head injuries sustained last season, but had no specific timetable as to when he'll return.

Crosby did say that it was likely that he'll play this year and told a reporter to "not bet on" his career being over.

In a way, this is understandable. There has certainly been an emphasis on head injuries in recent years and deservedly so. If you look at the amount of athletes who die well before their time should be up, you will see that head injuries are a common theme.

That's something that needs to stop, so the Penguins, Crosby, and the doctors are completely in the right to be cautious.

I am not a doctor, so I am not going to question whether or not he should get back to the ice. I agree that if he's not 100 percent, he shouldn't be back. I also understand that that means that a specific return date is unknown.

That's fine.

But why was the press conference held today?

What was said today was not much different than anything that's been said since the injury occurred last year.

We know that no chances are going to be taken. Some of us have different opinions on the matter, but we've all heard it since last winter.

Nothing meaningful was said today.

Look, I am not a Crosby basher. I generally like stars in sports. The games just have a lot more interest when the stars are playing and playing well.

Crosby is no different. If he never takes the ice again, he’s already one of the top players to ever play the game. He’s also only 24 years old.

I want Crosby back on the ice, but also want him to wait until he’s ready to go. The last thing anyone should want is a re-occurrence of the injury causing him to miss more time, or worse.

Ultimately, what was said in the press conference today is fine. There’s nothing especially controversial that was revealed today.

What’s confusing is that anything was said. A press release or even a Twitter update saying that Crosby is improving would have served the exact same purpose as today’s press conference.

It's good that he's making progress. It's promising that Crosby is confident that he'll play this year. But did we really need a press conference to acquire that information?