aid.When (Blake) did get at him there was a fair bit in the tank and he ac

Sidney Crosby collided with a Pittsburgh Penguins teammate last Friday at practice and thought nothing of it. Just one of those things.When the two-time MVP woke up Saturday, though, the headache he experienced felt familiar and he was hardly surprised by the concussion diagnosis that will keep the Penguins captain out indefinitely.Its well-worn territory to be sure for a player who missed the better parts of two seasons following a blindside hit to the head in January 2011.That doesnt mean, however, that what Crosbys dealing with now will linger as long -- or as frustratingly -- as those interminable two years when he wondered when hed get right.If anything, what he endured then will only help him going forward.I think going through it, you understand the process and I think that progress is a good thing, he said.Crosby felt good enough on Tuesday to spend nearly an hour on the ice skating alongside injured teammates Bryan Rust and Matt Murray, but he declined to set any sort of timeline on when he may return.Call it the residue from the aftermath of the hit by Washingtons David Steckel during the 2011 Winter Classic that forced Crosby to hit pause on his spectacular career.I just go day by day, Crosby said. You dont look too far ahead.Both Crosby and the team declined to get into specifics about what exactly happened, though he insisted the injury is a result of getting tangled with a teammate at practice and not something that occurred during the recently completed World Cup of Hockey. Crosby was the tournaments MVP after leading Canada to gold.Im not making this up, Crosby said. It was pretty clear I think.Crosby will remain in the concussion protocol for now, a series of procedures he knows well, ones that continue to evolve as more research comes to light.Weve learned so much in a short period of time, Crosby said. I think theres a really good structure in place on how to get back and that kind of thing. I feel confident and comfortable with everything.The Penguins open the season Thursday night at home against Washington and during a pregame ceremony will raise the banner for the franchises fourth Stanley Cup title. Crosby almost certainly will be out of the lineup, but he harbors no concerns about how this latest head injury will affect him in the long term.(Concussions) happen, he said. They happen in a lot of different sports and guys have multiple concussions and theyre fine. Just have to treat them the right way and make sure they handle it right and youre honest. Like I said, Im comfortable and confident that things will be OK.The timing is eerie when it comes to the level of Crosbys play. He was leading the NHL in scoring and in the middle of perhaps the best hockey of his career in 2011. This time, hes coming off a stretch in which he captured the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP while leading the Penguins to a title and backed it up with a sublime performance in the World Cup.Thats the first thing I thought when I saw the headline, said Buffalo Sabres coach Dan Bylsma, who coached Crosby in Pittsburgh from 2009-14. Id like to compete against him and beat him, no question. But at the same time, I hope hes able to get back to playing, and get back to playing the way he can.Crosby, a notorious workaholic, needs hockey. Theres little doubt the NHL needs him.You want the top players in the game, said Washington Capitals defenseman Matt Niskanen, a former teammate in Pittsburgh. Thats best for everybody. When everyones best players are in the game, thats what everyone wants to see. But most importantly for the individual, you just hope that its nothing serious.The Penguins have been able to survive without Crosby in the lineup, at least during the regular season. Evgeni Malkin won the Hart Trophy (MVP) and the Art Ross Trophy (leading scorer) after the 2011-12 season, a year in which Crosby was limited to 22 games as he continued to battle concussion-like symptoms.We know how we can play better with Sid, but we can play better without him, too, Malkin said. We have great teammates and great leadership group here.And a core that is only too aware of the toll concussions can take. Defenseman Kris Letang has dealt with multiple concussions during his career, and goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury suffered one late in the regular season that kept him out so long his job was eventually taken by rookie Matt Murray, who helped guide the Penguins to the Cup.As encouraging as it was to see Crosby in the dressing room on Tuesday, the Penguins are taking nothing for granted.It makes your mind think maybe hes close, but these types of things are on their own timeline and no one compares to somebody else, forward Chris Kunitz said. The good thing is he understands what hes going through, and hell be the best one to be able to come back from it.Game notes The Penguins claimed goaltender Mike Condon off waivers on Tuesday and assigned Tristan Jarry to their AHL affiliate. 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Bobby Cox Jersey Large . John Tavares, Thomas Vanek and Kyle Okposo were also being counted on to slow down sizzling Rangers forward Rick Nash. That plan didnt go so well early. Jockey Blake Shinn says Calanda can reach Group company after the horse broke his maiden with style at Warwick Farm.The Snitzel gelding sizzled around the south-western Sydney track on Wednesday during the Schweppes Maiden Plate (1200m).He ran a class record 1:09.78 seconds, covering the last 600m in 33.67s.Hes certainly up to Group standard but hes still raw and working it all out, Shinn said.Hes got a massive motor so Im looking forward to his future.Supported before the race into $1.60 favouritism, Calanda beat home Pelorus Jack ($16) by 1-1/2 lengths with Yeah Bravo ($10) third.The win added to trainers Peter andd Paul Snowdens strong three-year-old ranks which include Russian Revolution and Defcon.ddddddddddddPaul Snowden said Calanda would be taken through his grades towards stronger races.What was most impressive with the win was the last furlong-and-a-half, Snowden said.When (Blake) did get at him there was a fair bit in the tank and he accelerated well.The three-year-old is out of 1999 Gimcrack Stakes winner Speedy Bell and Newgate Stud and the powerful China Horse Club are among his owners. 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