CRANBERRY, Pa. -- Sidney Crosby joined the Penguins for practice on Tuesday, the first time he skated with the team since his hernia surgery.
Don't get too excited yet, though. Crosby said his participation in practice had more to do with the ice schedule during a busy day at the Lemieux Complex than anything else, and there's still no chance he plays on Thursday against the Sharks.
"I felt good," Crosby said after practice. "I was basically out there because of ice times and things like that, the way things worked out. I'll probably go back to being on my own tomorrow."
Crosby was on the ice before practice working with skills coach Ty Hennes, then stayed on the ice for the full practice, which focused entirely on skills work and special teams. It wasn't a practice with much contact regardless, but Crosby was still wearing a white no-contact jersey while the rest of the players were either in black or yellow.
In addition to the ice scheduling, this sort of practice was just a good opportunity for Crosby to rejoin his teammates for some light work for the first time, as well as provide a bit of a morale boost for his teammates.
"I thought he looked good," Mike Sullivan said of Crosby. "He's making significant progress, and we're certainly encouraged by that. This was a particular practice that I think was suited for him to join the team in the sense that it was a skills practice. There wasn't really any contact in it. It gave him an opportunity to get back with the team. He's such a great leader for this team, guys look up to him so much. I think the timing of him joining us was appropriate for the group, I know our guys certainly get excited when he's on the ice."
"It's awesome," Bryan Rust said of Crosby joining practice. "You could see the smile on his face, he was jumping around and excited to be out there. That's a good sign. He's our captain. He's one of the best players in the world, if not the best player. It's good to have him getting closer."
"It's huge," Jared McCann added. "To see him on the ice is awesome. It gives the guys some confidence, it's great to see."
"It's great to see him there," said Dominik Simon. "It's amazing to see how he recovered, it's great to have him back. ... I like to play with him. I wouldn't mind it for sure, but it's the coaches' decision."
There's still no projected time frame for Crosby's return to game action, or even a return to a regular full practice. But Crosby feels like he's making progress in his recovery, saying he's felt "better and better" each week.
"You just have to listen to your body," Crosby said. "It's just like any injury, you know when you push it and when you can't. I think with every week I've been able to do more and more, so that's positive."
"We're going to take each day as it comes," Sullivan added. "Both for him and the team. We'll take each day as it comes and see how he responds to each practice. Our medical staff and training staff will help us make the right decisions."
Crosby last played on Nov. 9. Since then, the team has gone on a 14-5-3 run, including an incredible 10-2 December. It's an encouraging run for a team with 156 man games lost and counting, and Crosby is looking forward to rejoining such a resilient group.
"The team's playing unbelievable," Crosby said. "I think for the last however long, even prior to when I got hurt, guys were going down left and right and we're still finding ways to win. That's been great to see, and I want to be back as soon as possible. ... Just seeing the collective effort to this point, it's been great to see. You want to be a part of that. That's something that got us through a lot of these injuries."
MORE FROM PRACTICE
• The Penguins announced prior to practice that Jake Guentzel will be sidelined for four to six months after undergoing shoulder surgery. More on that here.
"It's tough," Sullivan said of the loss. "I think his play speaks for itself. He's been one of our more consistent players here for a long time. He's a tough kid. He's had a great start to the season, he's quietly become one of the elite players in the league. I know his teammates, the coaching staff, management team all appreciate what he brings to this team. He's not an easy guy to replace."
Crosby praised Guentzel's ability to elevate his game and contribute to the team's success this season.
"To see him playing as well as he has been and then taking his game to another level, you just want to see your teammates succeed," Crosby said of Guentzel. "A guy like that who just found every way to contribute, to see that happen is just unlucky. He's as tough as they come and I'm sure that they'll make sure he's back as soon as possible."
When Sullivan was asked if he would have kept Guentzel with Evgeni Malkin or returned Guentzel to Crosby's wing once healthy, Sullivan declined to answer.
"I've given it a lot of thought," Sullivan said. "You guys can discuss that."
• The Penguins didn't run on any line rushes, so there were no clues for potential line combinations for Thursday's game.
• Hennes led the first 40 minutes of practice with skills drills, then players broke into separate groups for special teams drills, a lot of 4-on-0 work with some of the power-play players. Crosby, Malkin, Bryan Rust, and Kris Letang worked together.
• Malkin was fined $5,000 for high-sticking Jean-Gabriel Pageau on Monday. Pageau was fined $2,500 for roughing. More on that here.
