I wrote a piece on Sidney Crosby in January when the uncertainty surrounding his return to NHL ice consumed Pittsburgh Penguins fans. I talked about how his identity as the Face of NHL hockey took a backseat and he became the Face of the NHL's Biggest Problem It Loves Ignoring. Crosby returned later in the season, averaging an unearthly 1.68 points per game as the Pens cruised into the playoffs.

But something wasn't right with Crosby.

Despite his points per game average, Crosby was playing, well...average. There were times when flashes of brilliance would move fans to ooh and ahh, like they once did, but those moments became foreign. Crosby wasn't exuding the "just-try-and-stop-me" swagger's he owned since he learned to play the game.

The long and winding road back to the NHL for a player like Crosby who missed a significant amount of time, isn't going to be a walk in the park, no matter how easy he makes it look. For all we know, the questions could all be answered when Crosby returns after a full training camp and preseason, playing as if the concussion never happened.

However, another concern entered the picture: the Pens weren't the same when Crosby returned the second time. Their record speaks otherwise—the Pens went 14-6-2—but the dynamic of the team was very different than before. As if someone poured water over the well-oiled team, the chemistry was off. This is very interesting because adding a player like Crosby should only improve a team. Now I am not making the claim that Crosby's presence in the dressing room made the Pens worse; we have no way to prove it nor do I believe it. However, something about Crosby's return fiddled with whatever magic was happening among the Pens that made them look unstoppable and the overwhelming favorites to win the Cup.

Dare I say, Crosby was in the midst of another identity crisis?

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Two more days left in the EA Sports contest for the next cover. As you probably know, fans are voting on players tournament style, and in the quarterfinal Evgeni Malkin is up against Scott Hartnell.

Personally, I think Pittsburgh has done enough losing to Philadelphia this spring, so let's see to it that Geno can advance to the next round (and hopefully wind up as the coverboy). Here's the link. Do it. Here's the link.

The 2011-2012 Pittsburgh Penguins season came to a disappointing end this spring at the hands of our cross-state rivals. After a week or two of hashing and rehashing (lots of hash) the various issues that caused the Pens' early demise, it is time to start looking forward to next season: and it starts right here, at Pittsburgh's very own Consol Energy Center, with the 2012 NHL draft.

I am not going to review all of the top prospects. Barring a trade of Jordan Staal, the Pens don't have to worry about the top 15 picks or so. Below, I will introduce you to 5 players that should be on Ray Shero's radar as the Pens turn to pick approaches.

Disclaimer: I am no draft expert and I will not claim to be. I did a few hours reading, researching stats and watching highlight clips to come to my conclusions below.

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Down 3-1 in the best of seven series, the Penguins top minor league affiliate Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (AHL) has battled back and forced a Game Seven tonight at 6 p.m. EST against the St. John's IceCaps in Newfoundland, Canada. The winner moves onto the Eastern Conference Finals and will travel to Norfolk for Game One Thursday night in Virginia.

This has just been an incredible series. The Penguins and IceCaps split the first two games in St. John's before playing three straight overtime games in Wilkes-Barre. The IceCaps won Games Three and Four, pushing the AHL Penguins on the brink. But after a double overtime winner from Simon Despres in Game Five and an impressive 4-2 win in St. John's last night in Game Six, this series gets decided on one game. Game Seven.

Follow @H_P_Hockey on Twitter for updates all night, including a post game recap of all the action. I'll post it to the fanshots section on the right side column (off the main page).

Looks like you can watch for free here. Have heard mixed reviews on the free stream. You can buy a stream for 10 bucks on the AHL Live if it doesn't work.

For those Penguins fans in hockey withdrawal:

Watch some highlights of tonight's thrilling double overtime game from the AHL's Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins courtesy of the team.