When asked today by reporters if he'd return to the Pittsburgh Penguins lineup this season, Sidney Crosby's answer wasn't nearly as clear as fans hoped it would be. 

Via NHL.com:

"You know what? That could happen. But am I sitting here packing it in? No. I hope I'm back and, geez, I hope I play this year," Crosby said. "But that's the thing with these things, you don't know. There's no time frame. Like I said, I'm expecting to play this year."

Expecting to play. Not that he's going to play. He's expecting to play. You can understand, then, why Crosby thinks this injury is "scary." There's just so much uncertainty with concussions and head injuries, and Crosby expressed those fears on Thursday as well.

"It's really scary," Crosby said. "There's not anything that you can really compare it to. The fact as far as being out, being away, and how to deal with that, probably going back to when I hurt my ankle, that helps me a bit. But this is a little different when you're talking about your brain.

"Yeah, it's scary, but like I said, to a certain extent or certain point, there's nothing you can do except give yourself a chance to heal and, hopefully, it happens sooner rather than later." 

Make no mistake: Crosby is getting better. It's just not coming along that fast, and with an injury that can only be battled with rest, rest and more rest, that's about as frustrating as things can get. It can't help that his team is in the thick of the playoff race in the Eastern Conference, either.

For more on Crosby's situation, head over to Pensburgh.