Sidney Crosby Injury: Video History of Pittsburgh Penguins Star's Bad Luck

Sidney Crosby can't seem to catch a break these days.

The Pittsburgh Penguins' star was struck in the face by an errant puck during the second period of Thursday's game against the New York Islanders at Nassau Coliseum.

Islanders defenseman Dylan Reese was attempting to clear the puck when it came up under his face shield and knocked him to the ice.

The sight of Sid the Kid going down in a bloody heap evoked thoughts of Crosby's struggles with head injuries over the last 15 months, and the hope that taking a puck to the face wouldn't re-aggravate the same problems that have limited hockey's most exciting talent to just 57 games over the last two seasons.

Luckily, Crosby was able to return to the bench at the 10:13 mark of the second period, though concerns likely remain as to whether or not he'll be find going forward.

With that in mind, let's have a look at Crosby's recent history of misfortune, and what his most recent instance of bad luck might mean for his (and the Pens') future.

January 1st, 2011

Crosby's concussion problems first cropped up on New Year's Day in 2011, when he and the Pens hosted Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals in a marquee matchup at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh for the annual Winter Classic.

A blindside hit by the Caps' Dave Steckel sent Sid the Kid careening to the ice and out of the game.

January 5th, 2011

Four days later, the Pens welcomed the Tampa Bay Lightning to the Steel City—though not too happily after seeing what Victor Hedman did to their favorite son.

The Lightning defenceman crushed Crosby up against the boards during the game, inducing concussion-like symptoms in the scoring star and forcing him out of action for the remainder of the season.

November 21st, 2011

After suffering through several setbacks and missing the first 20 games of the 2011-12 NHL season, Crosby finally returned to the ice against the New York Islanders.

Sid did his best to make up for lost time, scoring two goals and assisting on two others in a 5-0 win for the Penguins.

December 5th, 2011

Sid the Kid tallied 11 points in his first eight games back before winding up on the trainer's table again, this time on account of a vicious elbow to the head from Boston Bruins center David Krejci.

Crosby passed the ImPACT test, but opted not to return to action immediately thereafter, preferring instead to wait and heal before putting his health at risk.

March 15th, 2011

Crosby came back just in time to join the Pens for their surge through the Eastern Conference standings. He logged 16 minutes of ice time and notched a pair of assists in a 5-2 win over the New York Rangers.

March 29th, 2011

Just two weeks after his return, Crosby found himself back in the locker room during the game, bloodied and beaten by a misplaced puck against the Islanders.

Crosby was able to play after sustaining the injury, though his presence did little to prevent a 5-2 loss for the Pens.

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