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Columnist: Sidney Crosby’s “doomsday clock is ticking”

crosbyap

James

Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby’s year-plus struggle with concussion issues has taken a few big turns for the worse, particularly in the short-term. With the most visible NHL player hitting another disconcerting wall, the Vancouver Sun’s Cam Cole wonders if his “doomsday clock is ticking.”

Well, if doomsday means not being quite the same player as he once was:

Crosby, we hope, has much more to give hockey, and in a perfect world, the concussion woes never return after he’s shaken this latest nightmare.

But it doesn’t take much imagination to envision a different picture, of a diminished, cautious Crosby returning whenever he decides he’s able, but never again quite as recklessly exuberant and commanding on the ice as Sid The Kid used to be before the shadow descended.

However it turns out, whenever and in whatever form he comes back, he will never be that kid again.

It’s reasonable to worry about Crosby at this point, especially when you think about the fact that he earned many of his goals by going to the “dirty areas” of the ice.

A parallel in patience

Boston Bruins v Pittsburgh Penguins

PITTSBURGH, PA - DECEMBER 5: Patrice Bergeron #37 of the Boston Bruins and Sidney Crosby #87 of the Pittsburgh Penguins wait for the puck drop on a face off on December 5, 2011 at CONSOL Energy Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Boston defeated Pittsburgh 3-1. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)

Jamie Sabau

Yet if you’re looking for an example for optimism, perhaps Crosby’s path has some parallels to a similar one traveled by his buddy Patrice Bergeron. Much like Crosby, Bergeron accomplished a lot (albeit not as much, naturally) at a young age. Concussions derailed his career for at least a season, however, and it generally seems like the Boston Bruins forward been through a heck of a lot for a guy who’s just 26 years old.

(In fact, many hockey fans will utter a similar refrain with Bergeron: “He’s just 26?”)

Now, some might see Bergeron as a two-time 70+ point player turned 50+ point guy, but he’s become one of the league’s best two-way forwards. Maybe he’s not exactly the same player who scored more points on teams that asked more of him, but he’s back to being a high-level contributor. Some might even say he morphed into a better player in the big picture.

It just didn’t happen right away.

So feel free to worry a bit about Crosby’s health - it’s reasonable to wonder - but don’t forget that the increasingly rapid news cycle has a way of making this problem seem that much worse. This ordeal began on Jan. 1, 2011, after all.

In other words, at 24 years old, it’s probably a little hasty to claim that his ceiling will be forever lowered.