Pittsburgh Penguins [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins] captain Sidney Crosby was a surprise participant during Friday's practice. He skated for a little before practice, then stayed on the ice for Friday's full practice. The session was designated as an optional practice, but it's still a big step for Crosby. It's been a little over two weeks since he got hurt during the Canada-Czechia quarterfinal game in the Winter Olympics. It was only one session, but Crosby skated really well and looked ahead of schedule. Yes, head coach Dan Muse said after practice [https://x.com/OtherNHLCrosby/status/2029982189895483744?s=20] that his timeline for a return hasn't changed, but he was moving really well out there. Goaltender Stuart Skinner spoke about Crosby's return after practice and was delighted to see him out there. "Yeah, it was awesome," Skinner said. "It's always great seeing him on the ice, and obviously, with the injury, it's always a very great feeling seeing somebody come back like that and seeing them on the ice, so I'm very happy for him, and for us, it was a lot of fun having him on the ice." Crosby won't play this weekend, but I have to think there's a very good chance that he goes on the Penguins' five-game trip that starts in Carolina on Tuesday. His return isn't that far off. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bookmark THN - Pittsburgh Penguins on your Google News tab [https://news.google.com/publications/CAAqBwgKMK-q0gsw7sXpAw/sections/CAQqEAgAKgcICjCvqtILMO7F6QMwquDfCA?hl=en-CA&gl=CA&ceid=CA%3Aen] to follow the latest Penguins news, roster moves, player features, and more!
