Penguins star Sidney Crosby out with another concussion

PITTSBURGH — The scene brought back jarring memories. Sidney Crosby woozily making his way off the ice after taking a brutal hit from a member of the Washington Capitals. His brain foggy. The Pittsburgh Penguins star’s immediate future uncertain.

The sight of their captain slowly heading to the dressing room Monday night following a violent cross-check to the jaw from Washington defenseman Matt Niskanen left Crosby’s teammates shaken. The diagnosis came the next morning: Crosby is sidelined indefinitely with yet another concussion.

For goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, Crosby’s nomadic two-year recovery from a concussion sustained after taking a shoulder to the head by Capitals forward David Steckel in 2011 remains fresh.

It’s why Fleury’s concern as the defending Stanley Cup champions prepared for Wednesday’s Game 4 of their increasingly caustic NHL Eastern Conference semifinal series against the Capitals wasn’t so much on how Pittsburgh will survive without its most indispensable player, but Crosby’s general well-being.

“It’s a tough moment for sure,” Fleury said. “You know, you care a lot about him. … We’ve been friends for a long time. I know he’s always devoted to the team. He’s always working hard out there. Hoping he feels better soon and see him smile again.”

Crosby spent part of Tuesday at the team’s training facility being evaluated. Barely 12 hours removed from a hit that sent a jolt across the league and provided a stark reminder of Crosby’s concussion history, the game’s best player tried to focus on pushing forward instead of looking back.

“He’s very upbeat and he’s very positive,” Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan said. “We’re very optimistic and we’re hopeful that we’ll get him back in a timely fashion.”

Just not in time to try to help the Penguins build on the 2-1 lead they take into Game 4 tonight. Sullivan declined to speculate on Crosby’s availability beyond this game.

Crosby would know. He missed the second half of the 2010-11 season and most of 2011-12 following the hit by Steckel. He sat out two weeks after being diagnosed with a concussion last October, returning in time to play in 75 games and score an NHL-high 44 goals.