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Pens' Crosby Out 6-8 Weeks

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The Associated Press

Published: January 23, 2008

PITTSBURGH - Sidney Crosby's high ankle sprain will force him to miss Sunday's NHL All-Star Game and six to eight weeks of the season, a major setback that means the Penguins must play most of their remaining schedule without the league's marquee player.

Crosby, the leading All-Star vote-getter, injured his right ankle Friday during the Penguins' 3-0 loss to Tampa Bay. If he takes eight weeks to heal - and the recovery time for such an injury can vary greatly - he would return in mid-March, with only about three weeks of the schedule remaining.

"I was hoping three to four weeks would be the most," Crosby said, talking Tuesday for the first time since he was hurt.

Crosby said he must be careful not to rush back and "tweak it a lot, and then we're back to square one."

Other athletes who have had a high ankle sprain - it is common in the NFL - say it is frustrating because rehabilitation alone can't cure it and considerable rest is needed.

"The pain has eased a little as it goes along," said Crosby, who can't do his normal conditioning and strength-building routine while he is hurt.

Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, for example, has been out since Dec. 6 with a high ankle sprain and is not ready to return. When Fleury was hurt, it was estimated he would return in six to eight weeks, the same prognosis given Crosby.

COYOTES: Goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov agreed to a three-year, $12.75 million contract extension.

MAPLE LEAFS: The team fired GM John Ferguson, replacing him with former GM Cliff Fletcher on an interim basis. The Maple Leafs have missed the playoffs the past two years and have a 19-22-5-3 record.

TV CONTRACT: Versus has picked up an option to televise NHL games for three more years. Through 29 games, average viewership has increased 34 percent from 195,666 last season to 261,760.

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