I awoke this Monday morning to get the official news that Sidney Crosby, He of the Golden Goal is once more sidelined indefinitely for the Pittsburgh Penguins with concussion-like symptoms. His timetable for a return to the ice is unknown although he is most definitely out of the lineup for Tuesday’s game against the Red Wings. Allow me to explain how significant this is – it was the top story on ESPN.com – not TSN, but our Big Brother to the south who traditionally place the majority of the hockey stories in that cubbyhole between collegiate track and field and highlights from last year’s World Series of Beer Pong. Of course, when Barry Melrose is regarded as the lightning rod of news and information for the sport, I too might be more tempted to tune in to the Women’s Hammer Throw or to check out how Kelowna’s own Newnham and Burton are faring at the 2011 WSOPB.

Photo: Contributed

Crosby has been sitting since the 3-1 loss to the Bruins last week that saw him not only take an inadvertent elbow from David Krejci but also take a significant hit from his own team-mate Chris Kunitz, either of which could have caused The Kid to experience a recurrence of his symptoms. Before the Champ-haters start screaming for Krejci’s head on a Christmas platter, allow me to reiterate that this particular hit was ‘inadvertent’. Crosby seems to be subject to this kind of luck on the ice on a daily basis and it is that very fact that has all Sports Fans concerned. This was not some misguided attempt to even the score for Marc Savard. Some commentators, desperate to understand how the League’s biggest draw, the face of the game, are calling #87 reckless and at times unaware of his surroundings on the ice! Seriously? 12 Points in just 8 Games since his return reeks of a player trying to get their ice-legs back. I should have written that last sentence in Sarcastic Font.

The NHL, like the NFL, UFC, boxing and most every sport involving forms of contact are being faced with concussion-like issues now on a daily basis but it is the National Hockey League whose poster-boy is at the centre of the debate. In the midst of substantial Conference re-alignment and playoff format restructuring, the NHL has guaranteed that the schedules of the future will allow each team in the League to play a home-and-home series with every other team. This one simple guarantee will cost millions in added travel costs but will, with any luck be offset by increased revenue from ticket and merchandise sales and I think you can trust me when I say that these sales won’t be from the highly anticipated visit of the Islanders or the Blue Jackets. Who knows, maybe the Coyotes sell out that annual one game when Mario’s boys grace the desert – although with all the BC snowbirds invading Arizona there might be enough Schneider Fans in-house to make it 2! While, I am not one who generally enjoys polishing Commissioner Gary Bettman’s skates, it seems that he may have found a better way to protect small market teams than the NBA’s David Stern who prefers to just take his ball and Chris Paul and go home.

Meanwhile, Pittsburgh Steelers’ James Harrison is still pleading his ignorance of ever being taught how to tackle after flat out destroying Cleveland Browns QB Colt McCoy with a helmet to helmet hit on Thursday night. Were it not for the fact that McCoy remembers nothing of the game from then on, Commissioner Roger Goodell had to snicker when this snippet of video crossed his desk. My new Quote Clean-up software displays Goodell’s reaction as, “Wow, he really is an idiot!” Traditionalists are poison penning blogs everywhere with takes on contact sports getting too soft while McCoy’s father is reviewing the highlight reels with his son and wondering how the trainers on the sideline missed the fact that Colt didn’t know what state of mind or America he was in. While I understand that mistakes happen in sports, as they do in life, there comes a point where repeat offenders have to be disciplined and one can safely say that even a 3-strike rule would have had Harrison parking cars or flipping burgers by now.

Photo: Contributed

And speaking of guys who see Wheel of Fortune as an intellectual challenge – let’s turn our attention to Jordin Tootoo. What were you thinking drilling Ryan Miller on his first game back between the pipes for the Sabres? Shanahan had his finger on the buzzer on that one – “I’d like to solve the puzzle please Pat - You sir have all the smarts of cauliflower, 2 Games in the sin bin.” Yes, I know Fans think he got the suspension Shanny was too scared to give to Lucic for running over Miller at the face-off circle weeks before and causing him to join the concussion crew but there are 2 differences here – Tootoo left his feet and in this case Miller was in his crease and therefore afforded some protection. I would have been OK with a game or two for Lucic although all he broke was “The Code” and much like a when a QB goes walkabout from the pocket in the NFL, there is a point where you become fair game. Maybe goalies should be allowed the feet first slide. Just a thought. In the meantime Kelowna, I hope your fingers are crossed that Sid The Kid gets to grace an arena near you sometime soon. Keep your heads up and your sticks on the ice.