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Pittsburgh Penguins general manger Ron Hextall announced on Wednesday that captain Sidney Crosby underwent a successful wrist procedure earlier in the day. The 34-year-old center will miss the start of training camp and is expected to be sidelined for a minimum of six weeks.
“This is not a new injury for Sid. It is something that he has played through for years,” said Penguins general manager Ron Hextall. “After exhausting all minimally-invasive options and much discussion, it was decided that surgery was in his best interest.”
The procedure to Crosby’s left wrist was performed by Dr. Robert Hotchkiss of New York, in collaboration with team physician, Dr. Dharmesh Vyas of UPMC.
Crosby joins Evgeni Malkin as key Penguin forwards who will be coming off surgeries when the 2021-22 season begins, with the latter centreman undergoing knee surgery in June. Both Crosby and Malkin are expected to miss the start of training camp.
The Penguins begin training camp later this month and open the 2021-22 season on the road against two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay on October 12. The door for Crosby’s possible return would likely open around October 20 at the earliest.
Crosby missed just one game during the COVID-19 shortened 2020-21 season, finishing with 24 goals and 38 assists to help lead the Penguins to the East Division title.
