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For the third year, a panel of CBC Sports executives, producers, writers and broadcasters has come up with a list of the people they consider the most influential on the national sports scene over the past 12 months.

We’ve cut down the finalists to a Top 10 using a simple system of 10 points for a first-place vote on to one point for 10th place.

Only four of last year’s Top 10 are back this time, showing how much the sports world in this country has turned upside down since then. Except for No. 1.

1. Sidney Crosby, Injured List, Pittsburgh Penguins

When Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote about the “shot heard round the world” in the opening stanza of the poem Concord Hymn in 1837, he was referring to the start of the American War of Independence 62 years previous.

Hockey isn’t quite as important as the birth of a nation, but you can argue the shot delivered by David Steckel to the head of Sidney Crosby just hours into 2011 may have not only changed the Pittsburgh captain’s own paradigm, but set the game itself on a path to what may be revolutionary changes.

Crosby has missed all but eight games in 2011 with concussion, and is out again for who knows how long.

At the same time, the discussion itself has changed, especially with the death this summer of three former NHL enforcers, to now include the possibility that the game of hockey as we know it could be altered.

Crosby is famous here in Canada for a coffee shop commercial where he says, “Wouldn’t it be amazing, getting up every morning … to do something you love to do?”

That he can’t is angering a lot of hockey people and making concussion — and the shots to the head that cause it — a cause celebre.

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Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby was named a Youth Olympic Games Ambassador on Wednesday for the first edition of the Winter Youth Olympic Games scheduled next month in Innsbruck, Austria.

Crosby will join figure skater Yuna Kim (South Korea), Alpine skiers Lindsey Vonn (USA) and Benjamin Raich (Austria), and freestyle skier Kevin Rolland (France) as ambassadors for the upcoming Games, which take place Jan. 13-22, 2012.

Crosby, 24, who scored the gold medal-winning goal for his country at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, is currently third in voting among forwards for the 2012 Tim Horton’s NHL All-Star Game despite the fact he has played in just eight games this season because of his recovery from a concussion and subsequent symptoms after returning to action.

He’s looking forward to provide guidance to those young athletes around the world. According to the International Olympic Committee, an ambassador of the Youth Olympic Games should inspire and mentor those competing athletes. Crosby will not be traveling to Austria, as this was something he agreed to over the summer.

According to Frank Buonomo, senior director of team operations for the Penguins, Crosby did some filming and conducted a photo shoot over the summer for the IOC. According to Buonomo, Crosby’s role in this event has no bearing on his playing status.

“It’s important that young athletes have the proper guidance and support in their early years,” Crosby said in a statement. “I have always tried to lead by example and be a positive role model for people. I hope my involvement in the first Winter Youth Olympic Games can help inspire the athletes and motivate them to be the best they can be in everything they do, not only during competition.”

Innsbruck 2012 will attract more than 1,000 top athletes between the ages of 15 and 18 from more than 65 countries. The athletes will compete in the same seven sporting events as those on the program of the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi in 2014.

“We are delighted that Sidney has joined our all-star line-up of Youth Olympic Games Ambassadors,” IOC president Jacques Rogge said. “He is one of the best hockey players of his generation, and his passion, dedication and determination are unmatched. He is also an athlete who understands the importance of living by proper values. Without question, the athletes at Innsbruck 2012 have a great role model in Sidney.”

s/t to open_ice

It seems highly unlikely that Penguins center and captain Sidney Crosby will play Tuesday when Chicago visits Consol Energy Center, considering coach Dan Bylsma said on Saturday that Crosby has not advanced past the point he was a week ago, which Crosby said was just doing workouts with light exertion.

All we probably had to do, though, is look at the schedule to figure that Crosby wouldn’t be back from a recurrence of concussion symptoms by Tuesday. For all that Crosby, 24, as accomplished — a Stanley Cup, an Olympic gold medal, an NHL MVP, an NHL scoring title, an NHL goal co-championship, more than 400 games and 200 goals and 300 assists in the NHL, and coming within 16 points of 600 in the NHL — two things remain pretty elusive.

That would be playing against the Blackhawks, and scoring a goal in an NHL All-Star Game.
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Two days after David Steckel felled Sidney Crosby with a wicked — unintentional or otherwise — blow to the head during the Winter Classic at Heinz Field Jan. 1, a Penguins executive was asked if Crosby had been given a concussion test in the wake of that hit.

The response was fast and firm.

No.

There was, the official said, simply no reason to.

He pointed out that Crosby has finished the game, conducted a postgame news conference and still had not reported any concussion-type symptoms.

In light of all that, what would be the rationale for having Crosby take a concussion test?

The answer came three days later, when Crosby was diagnosed with a concussion that prevented him from playing for more than 101/2 months.

Pretty tough to imagine anything like that happening in the NHL now, isn’t it?
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Sidney Crosby’s yearlong bout with a concussion will not influence next summer’s contract talks, Penguins general manager Ray Shero told the Tribune-Review, and the team remains committed to a long-term extension with the star center.

“The only thing on my mind is signing Sidney Crosby,” Shero said. “We want him to be a Penguin for life. That’s the goal. Nothing has changed.”

Crosby’s health has changed, of course. He remains out of the lineup with headaches, possibly indicating the concussion he sustained in January remains on some level, though an ImPACT test after the Dec. 5 game against the Boston Bruins did not indicate another concussion. He has played just eight games since Jan. 5.

Shero, however, expects Crosby to fully recover from his concussion issues.

“I’m under the assumption that he’s going to play in the NHL for another 10 or 15 years,” Shero said of Crosby, who turned 24 in August. “We all know he’s the best player in the league when he’s healthy. My mindset on Sidney Crosby is not changing. We want to sign him.”
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Penguins captain Sidney Crosby, out since Dec. 5 because of a recurrence of concussion-like symptoms, was placed on the injured list on Saturday.

Crosby has already been out the required time for someone on the injured list, so he could be activated at any time. He missed his fifth game, since his latest injury, on Saturday when Pittsburgh hosted Buffalo.

The Penguins also placed defenseman Robert Bortuzzo (concussion) on the injured list, and recalled forward Jason Williams and defenseman Carl Sneep from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the AHL.

Crosby complained of headaches last week and is taking a cautious approach in his recovery. He was originally injured in January when hits to the head in consecutive games caused a concussion. He was out of action from Jan. 5 until Nov. 21.

Crosby has 12 points in eight games this season.

There is no shortage of sympathy for Sid around the NHL these days.

News of Sidney Crosby’s latest health setback spread quickly through dressing rooms and prompted many to pass along well-wishes for the Pittsburgh Penguins star on Tuesday morning. More than anything, Crosby’s peers hope his return comes quickly.

“This guy’s got a drive for the game like no other,” said Maple Leafs winger Colby Armstrong, a former Crosby teammate. “It’s what he loves to do, I think it’s probably where he feels most comfortable — when he’s on the ice — as a person. I think obviously when you get that taken away from you it’s frustrating and tough.

“All the money in the world can’t fix that. I think everybody in the league, whether you know him or don’t know him, hopes he comes back and he’s healthy.”
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A minority of NHL fans are using social media outlets to question Penguins star Sidney Crosby’s toughness because of his refusal to play with concussion symptoms.

Former NHL standout Keith Primeau, whose career was ended prematurely by concussions, is coming to Crosby’s defense and believes his behavior is heroic.

?Sidney Crosby is an ambassador for people who have brain injuries and who have endured head trauma,? Primeau told the Tribune-Review late Monday.

?People are looking up to his courage as we speak.?

Primeau, who was drafted two spots ahead of Jaromir Jagr in 1990, played 14 NHL seasons before being forced into retirement at 34 because of multiple concussions. He is the co-founder of www.stopconcussions.com, a website designed to help the prevention of concussions.

Primeau appreciates that Crosby has displayed the prudence to temporarily halt his return from a concussion. Dealing with headaches for more than a week, Crosby isn’t going to play until he is 100 percent healthy.

PHOTOS

When the Penguins delivered Christmas presents to patients at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC on Monday, Marc-Andre Fleury’s eyes lit up when he spotted a certain gift on his group’s cart: a mini goal, stick and ball set.

So when Fleury and his teammates reached the room of the intended recipient, a young patient named Stevie, captain Sidney Crosby – whose jersey Stevie wore – did the honors of assembling the net before the goalie and his little buddy took to the floor and started playing, with ‘Flower’ grinning, “I got to show them how it’s done.” Continue reading »

via Benstonium

Penguins captain Sidney Crosby said that he’s experienced concussion-like symptoms the past few days after taking several hits against the Boston Bruins last Monday and is being careful about his health before returning to the lineup.

“Not (feeling) bad. I’m not happy about watching, but I have to make sure with these sort of things that I’m careful and making sure I’m 100 percent before coming back,” Crosby said. “No timetable (for return).?”

Crosby said there are encouraging signs after he did well on the ImPACT test and he feels better than when he previously missed 10 months due to a concussion.

“I did my ImPACT test and it went pretty good,” Crosby said. “That was a good sign. It’s much different than previously going through that stuff. That was encouraging.”

Crosby said he didn’t feel right after Pittsburgh’s contest against Boston, which was the reason he took the test the following day.
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Sidney Crosby’s comeback is on hold, and he isn’t ready to guess how long he will be out this time.

Crosby, who has missed the Pittsburgh Penguins’ last two games, said Monday that he has had concussion-like symptoms for nearly a week – or since a 3-1 loss to Boston last Monday. Tests show that Crosby has not had another concussion, but he says he is going by how he feels — and, right now, he feels it is better to rest.

The Penguins’ captain is not sure when he will practice or play again, but he cautioned that he feels much better than he did when he was diagnosed with a concussion nearly a year ago. Continue reading »

Sidney Crosby is not practicing with the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday.

Crosby sat out the last two games due to precautionary reasons because he didn’t feel 100 percent after taking a few hits in last Monday’s 3-1 loss to Boston. He is expected to address the media shortly.

The Penguins host the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday night.

Crosby missed the first 20 games of the season while overcoming concussion symptoms that forced him to miss the final 41 games as well as the playoffs last season. He returned on Nov. 21 and had 4 points against the Islanders, and has 12 points in eight games this season.