Two members of the famous Crosby hockey family have now been sidelined with concussions.
A new report says that Taylor Crosby, 14, the sister of Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby, recently suffered the same brain injury that has kept her famous brother off the ice for more than two months.
The Toronto Star reports that Taylor, a goalie, was injured two weeks ago during a practice for her under-16 team. Crosby plays for Shattuck-St. Mary's, a prep school in Minnesota with a renowned hockey program that her big brother also attended.
Taylor has since returned to the ice for practices. But her brother Sidney remains benched, with the team not announcing any changes in his health status.
Next week, when the NHL's general managers hold their annual meeting, the issue of how to handle concussions in players is expected to be a hot topic of discussion.
Some have complained that Crosby, who was first injured during the Winter Classic, should not have returned to the game so quickly. He was checked into the boards four days after his first hit, and hasn't returned to the ice since.
An NHL working group met during the All-Star break in January and recommended a new policy for players suspected of suffering a concussion. The policy is expected to be in place by the end of the regular season.
The effect of concussions in sport has become a topic of sudden intense interest. The discussion began with football, but has moved to hockey in recent months, in part because of Crosby's injury.
The news last week that former NHL enforcer Bob Probert had a degenerative brain disease has also stirred a debate about the safety of fighting in hockey.
Penguins GM Ray Shero has said he wants the league to look at whether to ban all headshots, even those that are accidental.
"We are a league where you can accidentally hit a guy in the head with your shoulder and not be penalized," Shero recently told USA Today.
"But if you clear a puck out of your zone and it accidentally goes in the stands, they give you two minutes. Does that make sense?"
