“Pls be healthy” “Should sit out four Nations”: NHL fans speculate as Sidney Crosby skates alone following upper-body injury

Sidney Crosby returned to the ice Thursday after missing the Pittsburgh Penguins' practice on Wednesday. Coach Mike Sullivan said Crosby missed practice due to an upper-body injury. This raised concerns, especially for Team Canada, ahead of the 4 Nations Face-Off next week. Crosby is the captain of the team, and he is expected to play an important role for Canada.

On Thursday, reporter Wes Crosby shared a clip on X, saying:

"Sidney Crosby is on the ice for practice. #Pens."

However, Crosby skated briefly with teammates before moving to another rink to skate alone.

"I might have spoken too soon. Sidney Crosby was on the ice with the main group leading up to practice, but has since headed to the other sheet to skate on his own," Pens Inside Scoop reported on X.

After the clip of Crosby's return to practice was shared, fans joined the comment section to share their opinions.

"Pls be healthy for the 4 nations," one fan wrote.

"IMO he should sit out four nations," another posted.

"Please be healthy. We need you out there for Team Canada. I’m so excited to see Sid leading the other younger greats on the roster. 🙏," a fan said.

Here are some more reactions from fans on X:

"Good, glad to see him out there... Now please trade him to the NYR. We have a Cup run to go on," one fan mentioned, calling for a trade.

"Thank God. My fantasy team sucks without him," a fan wrote.

"Gutted. NYC Pens fan headed to MSG tomorrow and I fear he’ll be held out for extra recovery time ahead of 4N," one fan talked aobut the likelihood of Sid sitting out Friday's game against the New York Rangers.

Mike Sullivan on Sidney Crosby practicing alone

Coach Mike Sullivan said this was planned, and Sidney Crosby is still being evaluated after he skated alone on Thursday.

"We'll probably have more information on his status tomorrow," Sullivan said per TSN.

Crosby played 22:14 minutes in the Penguins' 3-2 shootout loss to the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday. He left for 10 minutes after a collision but returned and finished the game. He got an assist, extending his point streak to five games.

“I got tangled up,” Crosby said following his return.

The Penguins play the Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers before the league breaks for the 4 Nations Face-Off. With Evgeni Malkin still out, the team lacks depth at center. If Crosby misses Friday’s game, Cody Glass and Kevin Hayes could take bigger roles.