Sidney Crosby met with the media on Wednesday for the first time in months, addressing the ongoing concussion problems that have plagued him since January. There's still no timetable for his return, and the doctors that have handled his case stressed repeatedly that they'll take their time in "reconditioning" Crosby for a return to the game.
They did, however, express their extreme confidence in his eventual return at 100 percent health.
Dr. Michael Collins said that Crosby has seen "significant improvements" of his symptoms lately. He called Crosby's concussion one of the vestibular system in the brain, the part of the brain that takes in sensory information. The doctor explained that with a vestibular system injury, the brain gets "foggy" when there's a lot of motion -- as there is when one is playing hockey.
Collins also said that Crosby is a "Ferrari" when it comes to his vestibular system, and that it's that system that makes him such an elite player. In other words, his sensory perception is incredible and above and beyond that of most other people, but this concussion has affected that. When asked if the doctors feel he'll be able to regain the full health of that system, they expressed even more confidence. But they also stressed that it hasn't happened yet.
Dr. Ted Carrick explained that Crosby's brain injury gave him issues with stability and understanding where his body was in relation to space, but that after treatment, they've been able to correct those issues and that Crosby is progressing. It was pretty in-depth stuff the doctor discussed, but essentially, it seems as though they've almost reconstructed the way his brain processes such information.
All parties stressed that Crosby will not make a return to the ice until he's at 100 percent, even when it's hard to gauge exactly when he's 100 percent because his 100 percent is so superior to that of a normal patient. He was at about 89 percent, according to doctors, when symptoms returned during his recovery and he was forced to take a step back in that recovery.
In essence, there's really no news on this Wednesday. Crosby isn't retiring -- or even thinking about it, he says -- just as he isn't making a triumphant return to the ice right away. As expected, the Penguins, the doctors and Crosby himself are taking their time in assuring that they get to 100 percent before an eventual return. We don't know when that's going to happen.
For more on the Penguins, check in with SB Nation's Pensburgh.
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