You can take away a few things when it comes to Wednesday's Sidney Crosby update, both good and bad. The good is that there was no mention of symptoms worsening. In what was done more as a publicity move than a practical workout, Crosby skated for a bit at Consol Energy Center before his conference as well. That is also good.
The bad is that there is still no timetable to work with. The team and the staff of doctors remain committed to taking his progress slow and steady before introducing contact, something that was labeled as being a long ways away.
Seeing as how there is no official return date set, or even a confident sidenote that he could be ready during the early part of the season, it seems somewhat reasonable to at least account for the fact that he may not play this season. This is, like many "reports" that circulate lately, purely speculative. But until fans are told otherwise, it doesn't seem out of place to consider this possibility.
Frankly, I'm tired of hearing the word "concussion." I'm tired of reading about updates that don't provide updates (like this one - consider it my civic duty), long-winded articles on the anatomy of the human brain, long-lasting effects of head injuries and "what does this mean for hockey" sort of stories.
Will it get better or worse once the puck drops on the new season? This is something I'm debating at this point. You know for a fact it will be mentioned in practically every game. Steigy and Errey may not be as blunt as others, but they will be forced to make mention here or there in one way, shape or form.
Maybe I'm just anxious to get the season under way. Maybe I'm just in a bad mood. Or perhaps I just feel all of this sort of stuff pales in comparison to the horribly tragic hockey summer that was only made worse today when news broke of a KHL team's plane crashing with over 40 players and personnel on board. But as of right now, any other Crosby update that lacks a definitive "yes, he'll play" or "no, he's out" is the equivelant of watching ice melt.