Tasser’s Take: Sid the Kid is back

Some feared it would never happen.

He kept the fans waiting, the experts speculating and the… Some feared it would never happen.

He kept the fans waiting, the experts speculating and the coaches quiet. The roller-coaster ride of anticipation climbed and fell, up and back down again, until many people were tired of the waiting and talking and the ever-present aura of mystery surrounding the whole situation.

But after 10 long and agonizing months, The Kid returned. And number 87 has picked up right where he left off.

Sidney Crosby is back, and the rest of the National Hockey League is not happy about it. In case you’ve been hiding under a rock, Sid the Kid made his triumphant return to the ice for the Pittsburgh Penguins after a lengthy absence brought on by concussions sustained in back-to-back games last December.

Crosby drew the ire of analysts and players alike during his lengthy absence and refusal to shed any sort of light on the situation, and a rumor that Crosby would never play again circulated for some time.

“Get on the ice, let’s get going,” former NHL star and Versus analyst Jeremy Roenick said in October. “Let’s start hitting. Let’s get back in. I don’t wanna hear every day, ‘How’s your head? How’s your head? How’s your head?’ I don’t wanna watch Sidney Crosby tell me every single day how there’s nothing new to report.” Evidently, he was sick of his own network interviewing Crosby about his very difficult injury.

He wasn’t the only one, either. Fans and players alike grew weary of hearing about Crosby’s skills and injury concerns, as the NHL made a point to shove him down people’s throats with their marketing campaign prior to the concussion. They began to point out his reputation for taking dives and complaining to officials and started to label him as “soft.”

But given the attention paid to head injuries of late, the wait and cautious approach taken by Crosby and his team of doctors, trainers and coaches only seems appropriate.

Crosby’s return was built up so much it was reminiscent of Penguins’ owner — and Crosby’s mentor and landlord — Mario Lemieux’s comeback from retirement as a player-owner back in 2000. In actuality, it paled in comparison to the significance of “Super Mario’s” triumphant return to the ice — Le Magnifique scored a goal and had two assists in his first time back after three years in retirement. But Sid did manage more points in his first game back, registering two goals and two assists.

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Crosby is off to the best start of his career, with 11 points via two goals and nine assists in his first five games back. This marks the first time he has reached double-digit points in the first five games of a season in his career.

That’s a whopping 2.2 points per game, and although it is unlikely he will keep up this pace, it will quickly put him on the board of NHL scoring leaders. Last season, he was averaging 1.61 points per game and had a commanding lead in the scoring race before his injury.

The Penguins made it clear that they do not need Crosby to be one of the NHL’s best teams. Buoyed by strong play from James Neal, Jordan Staal and Kris Letang — all three are projected for career highs in goals and points, with Letang also slated for success in assists and plus/minus — and the notoriously inconsistent Marc-Andre Fleury, the Pens were surviving without Crosby.

But what team would not want arguably the best player in the game on their ice, wearing their jersey?

If the Penguins are able to get their entire team healthy — Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Brooks Orpik and Zbynek Michalek have all missed significant time — they will most likely be Stanley Cup favorites. With Crosby back, Malkin healthy and Neal producing, their offense will finally catch up with the defense that carried them last year, and Pittsburgh will be looking at a deep run in the playoffs.