Sidney Crosby played two games in the month of January, sustaining a concussion on hits in those games from Washington's David Steckel and Tampa Bay's Victor Hedman, and did not play again the remainder of the 2010-11 season.
When he tried to skate with his teammates in non-contact practices in April, Crosby suffered more headaches and was forced back to the sidelines.
But now, six months after suffering the concussion, Crosby has been cleared by doctors to take part in his normal off-season conditioning program, certainly a positive step for Crosby and one that will make Penguins GM Ray Shero breath a tentative sigh of relief.
However, even with this seeming good news, fantasy hockey owners who posess the first or second overall pick in their respective drafts next fall will face a major dilemma. Whereas Crosby would be a slam-dunk choice with the first or second overall selection under normal circumstances, fantasy hockey owners must roll the dice a bit not knowing if Crosby is fully healthy and will remain fully healthy because concussions are tricky to understand and it is difficult to predict recoveries.
Of course those fantasy hockey drafts are still three months away, four in some cases, so there is plenty of time to scour the 'net and read all the latest news about Crosby's summer workouts---off-ice at first then on-ice beginning in late July---and recovery. And fantasy hockey owners will have the benefit of seeing how Crosby fares in training camp and pre-season games before making their draft selections, as well.
Still there will remain an unknown for owners sitting at their fantasy hockey draft tables next fall considering choosing Crosby or a healthier option---such as one of the Sedin twins, Alex Ovechkin, or Steven Stamkos. In many leagues you can bet that there will be fantasy hockey owners selecting in the middle or lower portion of the first round that will find Crosby available, and that just might swing the balance of power in their repective leagues when all is said and done.
Send your fantasy hockey questions and comments to jimcerny@gmail.com.