The digital clock on the wall had just struck 11:00 am. A whistle was heard, and Penguins players gathered around the boards near the “visitors” bench on their main court at their Cranberry facility on Friday morning.
Coach Mike Sullivan began scribbling outlines with a felt marker on a dry erase board when a figure with two sticks emerged from a hallway.
After stopping behind the bench to chat with a team member, that individual stepped on the ice and was greeted with applause from the players in the form of “applause.”
Sidney Crosby was back.
In practice, at least.
Crosby fully participated in a practice or scrimmage for the first time since he abruptly abandoned a scrimmage on July 18, although he had been skating only a handful of times, even before practice on Friday. There was little to indicate that Crosby was physically limited in any way on Friday.
The reason for his absence has never been revealed by the team. New NHL rules that prohibit the public release of medical information during the coronavirus pandemic did not allow the team to explain why the top hockey ambassador had disappeared before a postseason tournament like no other.
A source from the team told the Tribune-Review that Crosby had been dealing with a minor physical ailment and was being held for precautionary reasons.
Crosby was not available to reporters on Friday.
Still, his presence was clearly welcome.
“It’s great to have him back on the ice,” said assistant coach Jacques Martin, replacing Sullivan’s obligations with the media. “You know how important it is to our hockey club. Bring great leadership both on and off the ice. You know how (Sullivan) likes to use it in many cases. He is a catalyst. It is nice. Everyone applauded when he joined the group today. ”
Martin’s decision
Martin is the oldest NHL coach (assistant or boss) at 67. And given the increased risks the coronavirus poses to older people, he and Sullivan had a discussion about how much involvement Martin would have during the postseason before deciding to fully participate.
“I had the conversation with Mike,” said Martin. “There was no question on my part. I feel like I am in good physical condition. I think I’m careful. Throughout this period, I have obeyed the recommendation of medical staff to wear a mask. I keep in close contact with the family and a small circle. I think that is really important. And I have strong faith and belief in our staff here and our athletes.
“So I’m excited to be a part of having another chance to win a (Stanley Cup title) and be part of this staff and help this organization as much as I can.”
High praise
During Thursday’s scrimmage, reserve striker Adam Johnson excelled by creating plenty of scoring opportunities and preparing rookie forward Anthony Angello for a goal.
Johnson appeared in seven games during the regular season, all of which occurred in October. He may have won more NHL action, but a handful of injuries he sustained during the regular season at the American Hockey League level prevented more withdrawals.
Still, Sullivan offered heartfelt endorsement of Johnson’s abilities and his position within the organization after Thursday’s scrimmage.
“We really like (Johnson’s) game,” Sullivan said. “His skating ability is so evident when he’s with us. He played some good games for us when he got his NHL games. There was opportunity through some injuries we had this year. Unfortunately for (Johnson), he hurt himself a lot when those opportunities presented themselves. So you didn’t get the games you maybe had anticipated or we anticipated you could get NHL level.
“But we think he is an NHL caliber player and a great reason why he owes his pace.” He is a good pain killer. It’s a great type of disc search. He is good in the pretest, and has a little touchdown touch. He had a strong (scrimmage Thursday). “
Seth Rorabaugh is a writer for the Tribune-Review. You can contact Seth by email at [email protected] or by Twitter.
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