Pittsburgh Penguins superstar Sidney Crosby will miss Sunday's all-star game because of symptoms from a concussion, igniting a debate on headshots in the NHL.

The Cole Harbour, N.S., native spoke to media Monday, saying he had trouble completing tasks "you do every day" after he was diagnosed with the concussion.

Crosby, the NHL's top vote-getter for the all-star game, was injured after taking two hits to the head, one Jan. 1 by the Washington Capitals' David Steckel and another by the Tampa Bay Lightning's Victor Hedman on Jan. 5.

"(The Penguins) were pretty clear in communicating to me when I saw doctors that there's no real timeline," Crosby said in a video posted on the Penguins' website. "People say 'mild concussion,' but I don't know if there really is such a thing. It's a serious thing. Obviously, it's frustrating."

Crosby said the initial headaches were tough.

"It's brutal," he said. "You sit around and you can't really do anything. Even watching TV early on, I couldn't do that.

"The biggest thing is just things you take for granted. Things you do every day like driving, stuff like that would set (the headaches) off."

Crosby will miss his 9th straight game Tuesday night, and the NHL is facing calls for a crackdown on headshots, particularly after losing its top player.

"This is a significant event for the National Hockey League, the all-star weekend, from a marketing aspect, from a player aspect, and certainly from a sponsorship point of view. And Sidney Crosby largely is considered the face of the National Hockey League. So this will be a huge hit for the NHL," TSN hockey analyst Darren Dreger said.

Dr. Charles Tator, a brain surgeon and founder of Think First, an injury prevention program, says it takes time to properly diagnose a concussion.

"You have to ask about all kinds of symptoms: are you nauseated? Do you have ringing in your ears? Are you sensitive to light?" he said on CTV News Channel Monday.

"You don't have to be rendered unconscious to have had a concussion."

There is still no timetable for Crosby's return.