Sidney Crosby Injury: Updates on Penguins Star's Status and Return

Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby is dealing with a lower body injury that forced him to miss the 2015 NHL All-Star Game. After missing Tuesday's game, head coach Mike Johnston said Crosby is set to play Wednesday.

Continue for updates. 

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Crosby Expected to Play Wednesday

Wednesday, Jan. 28

The Penguins announced on Twitter that "Coach Johnston said Sidney Crosby will play tonight." Pittsburgh takes on Washington at the Verizon Center.

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Crosby Speaks on Injury, Recovery

Tuesday, Jan. 27

Sidney Crosby spoke to the Penguins' team website about his injury and eventual return to the ice:

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Crosby, 27, said he felt “good” following the skate, and will wait until Wednesday to decide if he can play.

“It’s day-to-day and we’ll see how I feel tomorrow,” Crosby said.

Crosby, 27, suffered a lower-body injury Jan. 10 at Montreal that plagued him for two weeks. He acknowledged that the injury limited him in every facet of his game.

Crosby was given an injection to treat the injury, which forced him to miss this weekend’s All-Star festivities. An NHL rule stipulates that any player that misses the weekend will have to miss his team’s first game following the break. However, Crosby would have missed tonight’s game against Winnipeg regardless due to the injection.

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Crosby Absent from Practice

Monday, Jan. 26

The Pittsburgh Penguins confirmed that Sidney Crosby did not practice with the team on Monday as he continues to recover from a lower body injury. Head coach Mike Johnston commented on Crosby's status:

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Crosby Takes Injection for Injury

Friday, Jan. 23

The Penguins provided an update on Crosby, stating "Penguins center Sidney Crosby has taken an injection to treat a lower body injury suffered January 10 against Montreal. Crosby had attempted to play through the injury the past two weeks. He is expected to resume skating on Tuesday and could return to the lineup either Wednesday at Washington or Friday at New Jersey."

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Crosby to Miss All-Star Game With Lower-Body Injury

Thursday, Jan. 22

The Penguins released a statement on the news:

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Penguins forward Sidney Crosby will miss the 2015 NHL All-Star Game due to a lower-body injury, it was announced today by executive vice president and general manager Jim Rutherford.

Crosby has been playing with the injury and will need about a week to heal.

As a result of missing the All-Star Game, Crosby will not be permitted to play in Pittsburgh’s game on Tuesday, January 27 versus Winnipeg.

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Crosby previously missed some time after being infected with the mumps. Athletes are used to battling through various types of ailments, but that was out of the ordinary, especially considering the number of players around the NHL who also dealt with the contagious disease.

Otherwise the 27-year-old All-Star forward has been his usual self on the ice this season. He's scoring at better than a point-per-game pace while helping lead the Penguins into a promising place in the standings once again.

Now the Penguins just have to await further word on the severity of the latest injury setback. After a string of seasons where Crosby was forced to miss extended periods of time, he played 80 games last year and the team hoped he could leave those issues in the rear-view mirror.

While Pittsburgh still has Evgeni Malkin to lead the offensive charge, the lineup isn't nearly as dangerous without Crosby. More updates on his status will be passed along as they are made available.