Dejan Kovacevic dropped some bombs in his latest piece for the Tribune-Review.
Most incendiary of the devices dropped? Unequivocally stating that some Penguins are questioning the validity of Sidney Crosby's most recent injury and even held a team meeting to discuss naming an interim captain.
A few, certainly not all, of Crosby's teammates are of the mind that he's been symptom-free for a while, though they have no medical basis for that. Some think he should be playing. Some simply think he should be doing more to communicate, or at least be as visible as concussed defenseman Kris Letang.
Last week in Pittsburgh, according to three sources, a group of players held a 45-minute meeting to discuss a temporary captaincy. Another source disputed that any such meeting occurred.
A three-source-to-one ratio? I'll take the three at their word. Kovacevic has rightfully earned a solid reputation. If he was able to find three trustworthy sources able to verify that a very particular event occurred, you can be fairly certain that it did.
Wow.
The first question is, What constitutes a few? Three players? Five? Eight? Any of those numbers is too many.
It's a startling statement, and appears to back sentiments shared by Mark Madden earlier this week about some semblance of dissent in the locker room.
An uncharacteristic bevy of losses can do that. Rarely does it get bad enough to go public.
Additional points of interest from Kovacevic's piece:
- Crosby not only recently purchased a new home in Pittsburgh, but pulled an Elin Nordegren and demolish the entire thing in order to build a home more suiting his tastes. Kovacevic interprets this as an act taken in the interest of maintaining permanency in Pittsburgh, and proof that Crosby doesn't want to leave the city. I interpret it an act of someone with vast wealth. Both are probably true.
- Crosby's still having trouble with balance. Worst of all, he isn't sure why.
- Troy Crosby Troy and agent Pat Brisson keep very close tabs on him, but rumors of a serious divide between them and the Penguins is inaccurate. There was, however, a period of animosity after the medical staff botched the diagnosis of Crosby's initial concussion.
Perhaps most accurate in an overall outstanding opinion piece was this:
You're going to hear some of this stuff Friday when Crosby faces reporters at about noon in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. But let me lay this out now: The Penguins, the public and, yes, Crosby all need to learn how to handle this situation better in the future.
Hopefully, all parties can simply avoid handling this in the future.