Crosby Injured as the Hockey World Gasps in Unison

That collective gasp that you hear coming from southwestern Pennsylvania is Penguins fans after seeing Crosby being helped off the ice after an apparent leg injury.

This is already going to impact the upcoming All-Star game as Crosby was the most popular NHL player and most on-line ads featured Crosby's #87 in a red East jersey. It is not known how long he will be out, but a sprain could be a 3 month long recovery. The front offices to the NHL are scrambling now as to who they are going to promote next.

The Penguins have already had a serious injury bug as other players Max Talbot, MA Fleury, and Gary Roberts have suffered leg injuries. This will surely affect the trade deadline as well as the already lofty Penguins playoff chances.

To all those Crosby-haters out there, be careful what you wish for. Especially because karma can be a bitch. I have read on numerous message boards that have brought out the bitterness in some of the jealous fans.

Roberts Breaks Leg, Walks as Legend

Tonight in a game against the Buffalo Sabres, iconic veteran Gary Roberts was possibly lost for the rest of the season after suffering a broken left leg. He was just honored before the game by Penguins GM Ray Shero for career point #900, but in a foreboding sign, he almost tripped on the carpet mat.

Roberts was taken out by a submarine movie to the ice by Sabres Tim Connolly. Roberts let twisted awkwardly and bent to the side in an un-natural way.

"I don't know who got a piece of me but I fell," Connolly said. "I'm not sure exactly what happened but I was surprised to see him down. It's a freak accident, and I wish something like that doesn't happen."

Roberts lied there on the ice which stunned both the TV and radio broadcasters to brief silence. He insisted that he walk off the ice without a stretcher.

Gary Roberts is a tough individual who has quickly become a mythic figure in the same vein like Chuck Norris. Gary "F'n" Roberts may have skated his last game if the injury does not heal in time for the playoffs. So, in honor of his career, I have composed some "facts" about Gary Roberts.

• Gary Roberts does not need a stick. The puck obeys his directions.


• Gary Roberts grows a playoff beard on command.


• The partition glass has apologised 3 times for getting in Gary Roberts way.


• Gary Roberts single handily defeated the entire Estonian team by himself.

It's been a fun ride, Gary. I am sure they will have a place for you ready in the hall real soon.

[Via: Yahoo! Sports]

Preseason Coinsides With Injury Season

I expected this to happen. The injury bug is a hard one to take when it infects your team even before the season starts. So, with these meaningless preseason scrimmage games being played during training camp, there is always an unnecessary risk of getting hurt.

The Stanley Cup champs in Anaheim are already hit with a tragic call when newly acquired defenceman Mathieu Schneider broke his left ankle yesterday. If I took the time to grab another additional link or two, I will find a couple more examples of players injured.

I don't have to look any farther than the scare that B.C. hockey fans got recently. {Karma? eh, Burnaby?) Sami Salo injured himself in another meaningless game for the Canucks. Salo is all they have at D, so losing him for a reported indefinite amount of time. Then there was a scare where their franchise goaltender Roberto Luongo took a puck to the throat.

Why are teams even allowing this to happen? I think these players jobs are safe. My take is that maybe 3 games should only be arranged between teams on a limited basis so that the "on the bubble" and rookie players can get some experience before assessing their role on the depth charts. That is about the only value preseason games have. Hockey has to look down the tunnel and see the bright lights of the train coming straight for them before it is too late. Other sports (football) have infused their preseason with a lot of TV money to the point where they can't reduce the number of preseason games without giving up the ridiculous money already involved. The NHL and other hockey leagues need to bear down this trend while they still can.

[Via: The Hockey News & The Hockey News]