Sidney Crosby ‘Anxious’ to Get Hit More in Practice

Sidney Crosby is back and practicing with the Penguins, but he has only gone through one full-contact practice with the team. Have the Penguins gone soft on their star player?

No, it seems that the Pens’ busy schedule has pretty much limited their team practices to game-day skates only, leaving Crosby hoping for more hitting than he’s actually getting.

“You can only do so many drills by yourself,” Crosby told the Canadian Press.

Although he admits that he’s made a lot of progress since being cleared for contact in practice, Crosby is still hoping to get more physical. However, the article notes that his teammates are still a little wary of hitting Crosby.

Maybe Matt Cooke has changed, after all?

We’re sure there are plenty of players (and fans) who wouldn’t mind reintroducing Crosby to a clean hit or two or 10, but for now, he will have to wait and work his way back to game speed. He says he’s looking forward to a five-day break the Penguins have in November, when it looks like the team will really have a chance to let him have it during practice.

“I’m anxious for that for sure,” Crosby remarks.

That’s fine, but we cannot stress this enough, Sidney: watch out for Matt Cooke.