of him looking back on these year

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 notesThe Penguins claimed goaltender Mike Condon off waivers on Tuesday and assigned Tristan Jarry to their AHL affiliate. Condon will back up Fleury while Murray recovers from a broken hand.---AP Hockey Writers Stephen Whyno in Washington and John Wawrow in Buffalo, New York, contributed to this report.Delon Wright Raptors Jersey . Already owning gold from competition in Vancouver in 2010, Loch posted a combined four-run time of 3:27.526. That included a track-record third run of 51. Kyle Lowry Raptors Jersey . With his new coach and six-time Grand Slam singles champion Boris Becker watching him during an official match for the first time, Djokovic appeared tentative early against the Slovakian player, who often appeared content to keep the ball in play. https://www.raptorsrookiesshop.com/Lucas-Nogueira-City-Edition-Jersey/ .H. -- Matt Kenseth made it 2 for 2 in the Chase, holding off teammate Kyle Busch to win Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Serge Ibaka Jersey . Deulofeu injured a muscle in his right leg in Evertons 4-1 win over Fulham in the English Premier League on Saturday. Barcelona says that its team doctors will "co-ordinate" with Evertons medical staff as Deulofeu recovers. Vince Carter Raptors Jersey . Malkin got tangled up with Detroits Luke Glendening early in the third period and his left skate took the brunt of collision with the boards behind Pittsburghs net.ANDORRA LA VELLA, Andorra -- Chris Froome is finally receiving acclaim from fans alongside the roads of the Tour de France.The British rider with Team Sky has been widely applauded and even lauded for his panache after pulling off a surprise downhill attack to take the yellow jersey.Its quite a turnaround from last year, when Froome was booed, spat upon, and had urine thrown on him.Certainly. The atmosphere out on the road has been fantastic, Froome said on Monday on the races first rest day. The crowds have been great, none of that silly nonsense that we had last year at all so far. I hope it stays that way.When Froome won the Tour in 2013 and 2015, he was not only suspected of doping, but also criticized for riding in an overly calculated manner with little creativity. That changed with Saturdays daring descent and stage win in the Pyrenees.My main focus is obviously the race. But if its entertaining at the same time then great, Froome said. Im not going to change my racing just for entertainment stake. Im going to do whatever I can to try and win the race.Froome holds a 16-second lead over fellow British rider Adam Yates, and is 19 seconds ahead of Dan Martin of Ireland. His main rival, two-time runner-up Nairo Quintana of Colombia, is fourth, only 23 seconds back.The only major incident involving Froome so far came when a fan running alongside the road got too close during Saturdays eighth stage. Froome responded by landing a left jab to the spectators face.The race jury fined Froome 200 Swiss francs ($203) for inappropriate behavior.I accept it. ... I felt it was the right thing to do, Froome said. He was dangerous at that moment. There have been quite a few incidents with fans in the past few days. Thats just part of the sport, I guess.Another issue that has become part of the sport recently is concern over mechanical doping.Femke Van Den Driessche of Belgium was banned from cycling for six years after a motor was found in her bike at the womens world under-23 cyclo-cross race in January. And in April, French television program Stade 2 claimed to have detected widespread mechanical doping at two Italian races by using roadside thermal cameras.The UCI, cyclings govering body, responded by checking hundreds of bikkes at the Tour with thermal imaging equipment.ddddddddddddhen Froome was asked about a suggestion that the reason he hasnt been able to attack successfully uphill in this Tour was because he doesnt have a motor in his bike, Sky team principal Dave Brailsford responded for the rider.Weve been tested every day, Brailsford said. We actually got an email from the UCI yesterday saying thank you for being the most cooperative team out of everybody in the bike checks.If someone is stupid enough to have the idea of coming here with a motor in their bike, for sure theyll get caught, Brailsford added. The whole discussion about bikes and motors is becoming -- given the level of testing -- something that we need to maybe just reconsider slightly.Froome, meanwhile, seems more focused following the birth of his son, Kellan, in December.Its given me a lot of added motivation, he said. Its given me a lot more energy just for life in general. I love to think of him looking back on these years, when he gets a little bit older and understands it all, and being proud of his old man.The Tours next mountain-top finish comes in Stage 12 on Thursday at the legendary Mont Ventoux, on Bastille Day.Froome was the stage winner when the Tour last scaled Ventouxs barren, 1,909-meter (6,263-foot) peak in 2013.Ventoux was also the site of an epic contest between Lance Armstrong and Marco Pantani in 2000, and where British rider Tom Simpson died in 1967 after he used a lethal cocktail of amphetamines and alcohol.When I got to the top last time I had to get on oxygen support, I was so tired, Froome said. Its one of the most iconic climbs. To win up there again would be unreal, out of this world.Its going to be interesting to see whos really going to go that deep for the victory there, or are people going to be waiting a little bit knowing theres a time trial the next day? Froome wondered.The race heads to the Alps in the third week, with a rare mountain time trial wedged in between several more grueling Alpine stages.Thats where, Froome said, the race will be won or lost.---Andrew Dampf on Twitter: www.twitter.com/asdampf ' ' '