Rumors flew in the 24 hours leading up to the press conference. Some wondered whether Crosby and his doctors would announce his retirement. Others guessed Crosby would miss a chunk of the season, awaiting the fog to dissipate inside his head.

 

Crosby, instead, was rendered silent as the hockey world was brought to its knees that morning for the fourth time in a short summer.

 

Nearly 5,000 miles away in Yaroslavl, Russia, the KHL’s Lokomotiv team had their number called in the only lottery that every frequent flyer fears. The Lokomotiv’s team plane crash, killing all 43 team and crew members on-board, was the sport’s excessive kick to the gut from above.

 

Former Nashville enforcer and fan favorite Wade Belak passed exactly a week earlier. Rangers bruiser Derek Boogaard and Jets forward Rick Rypien preceeded Belak’s passing, each with enough tributes and memorials that should last the sport for 30 seasons, not one summer.

 

They say "time heals all wounds."

 

For hockey, this fall, Sidney Crosby holds the magic touch.

 

On Saturday, Crosby skated with his teammates in an hour-long, no-contact training camp session in Pittsburgh for the first time since April. When he stepped onto the ice for the open practice amid loud cheers from fans, it was the first time The Kid and Evgeni Malkin were on the ice together since Jan. 5.

 

Put in perspective: Crosby had not gotten the chance to skate with prized trade deadline acquisition James Neal, dealt to the Penguins in February, until Saturday.

 

Make no mistake, the Penguins ailed without Crosby. Not in the standings, as Pittsburgh went 24-13-5 over the final four months of the season and finished tied with the Flyers atop the Atlantic Division.

 

Truthfully, the game ailed without Crosby.

 

Last week’s opening of training camps marked an important step in the rehabilitation process not only for Crosby’s career but also for the sport. Crosby’s return, even devoid of contact, provides a sense of normalcy for the league that no other player can provide.

 

Without saying a word, Crosby’s slow and steady comeback sends a message that everything will be OK, that it's normal to question and contemplate life in a larger context than just sport.

 

Did the NHL miss his talent?

The rest of the Eastern Conference may not have. But Crosby was on pace for his best season ever, posting 32 goals and 34 assists in 41 games. He remained in the Top 10 in the league scoring nearly six weeks after playing his last game.

Like him or not, Crosby is not only the sport’s top talent – that discussion was likely extinguished after the 2010 Vancouver Olympics and solidified last season by the fact that it took Alex Ovechkin a full 79 games to reach Crosby’s goal total after just 41 games – but he is also undoubtedly the NHL's most marketable face. He topped the league’s jersey sales ranking for a sixth consecutive season last year.

Yes, hockey was still played after January with Crosby on the sidelines. The Stanley Cup was still awarded in June.“I think it puts guys a little more at ease,” Penguins left wing Chris Kunitz told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “I don’t think you ever want to prepare without the best player in the league. He brings to much to the team. But just having him around ... It’s nice to see him.”

But Crosby's comeback bid is a welcome sight for a league that has taken far too many blows to the head and heart this summer.

 

 

 
Photo of Sidney Crosby by Getty Images

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