More than eight months since Sidney Crosby suffered a concussion, the Pittsburgh Penguins are still unsure whether the former MVP will be ready to play in the regular season opener Oct. 6, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported Monday.
Crosby, who has not played since Jan. 5 when he suffered a hit to the head for the second time in five days, has since been dealing with post-concussion symptoms and is not cleared to play.
"He hasn't had to be shut down this summer, and he's pushing pretty hard," general manager Ray Shero said, after talking to Crosby over the weekend. "Having said that, he's expected in (Pittsburgh) a week before camp and we will see where he is then."
Shero said the team will not seek clearance from a doctor until at least a week before training camp opens on Sept. 16, according to the report
Crosby has been cleared for no-contact workouts, and is training near his offseason home in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Shero insisted the organization will give Crosby all the time he needs, and will not "push" the superstar center to return by any date.
"I'm only interested in making sure he's comfortable when he returns to play, end of story," Shero said. "I'm about the bigger picture with this thing."
On Sunday, SiriusXM hockey reporter Josh Rimer tweeted that Crosby would not be ready for the start of the season, citing three unidentified sources. With the Penguins disputing the accuracy of the tweet, Rimer told the Tribune-Review he stood by the statement.
The 24-year-old Crosby, who guided the Penguins to the Stanley Cup in 2009, was leading the league in scoring at the time of his concussion, with 32 goals and 66 points.
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