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PITTSBURGH -- Yes, that was Sidney Crosby shooting pucks, skating hard from end to end and going through a full practice. nfl jerseys china . No, its not time yet for Pittsburgh Penguins fans to start getting excited. Still missing is an all-clear sign for hockeys long-absent star to begin getting hit again, even if its only in practice. A target date for Crosbys next comeback also remains indefinite, just as it has since early December. Crosby, limited for weeks to on-ice work with other injured players, practised with his teammates Thursday at the Penguins suburban practice rink, only the third time hes skated with them since he last played on Dec. 5. Penguins coach Dan Bylsma cautioned that Crosbys status hasnt changed, even if this was his most extensive on-ice work in weeks. "A chance to get on the ice with some more players," Bylsma said Thursday. "He was out there with our team for the entire practice, although he did not participate in the contact drills that we did have. Well see how he progresses and where hes at in terms of getting on the ice." Concussion-related issued have limited Crosby to eight games over the last 14 months, a considerable stretch for the NHL to be without its showcase star. Lately, Crosby has worked out on a near daily basis with conditioning coach Mike Kadar and any other sidelined players in advance of practice. On Thursday, however, Crosby chose to skate with the full team, even though forward Tyler Kennedy (high ankle sprain) was available to work out with in advance of practice. Bylsma wouldnt say if this means Crosby is getting closer to being cleared for full participation in practice, a necessary step before he can play in NHL games again. "Sometimes it (Crosbys routine) is dictated on if its an optional (practice) or how many people will be out there," Bylsma said. While the Penguins (34-21-5) have only 22 remaining regular-season games, they are hopeful their sidelined superstar can return at some point. But as the season winds down and Crosby remains out -- he now hasnt played for nearly three months -- the Penguins still have no realistic idea when he will be ready. Crosby wont even begin to guess when it might happen, and neither will anyone associated with the team. The uncertainly might be affecting what general manager Ray Shero wants to do in advance of Mondays trading deadline. If Crosby was playing, Shero almost certainly would be looking to add a forward capable of playing alongside his team captain. But with no comeback date in sight, it might not be prudent for the Penguins to rent a player for a role that might not need filling. Shero, usually among the most active GMs at the deadline, has given no indication what his priority is. Since taking over as the Penguins general manager in 2006, Shero has added forwards such as Marian Hossa, James Neal, Pascal Dupuis, Chris Kunitz, Bill Guerin, Gary Roberts and Alexei Ponikarovsky at or near the deadline. Neal, Dupuis and Kunitz remain with the team. But, for now, the Penguins are so crowded with forwards that they assigned Cal OReilly, recently picked up on waivers from Phoenix, to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (AHL) on Thursday. And centre Dustin Jeffrey, who filled in on the No. 2 line during Jordan Staals recent injury absence, was a healthy scratch for a 2-0 win over the Rangers on Tuesday. The Penguins play back-to-back home games this weekend against Tampa Bay (Saturday) and Columbus (Sunday). jerseys from china . The Texas Rangers quickly got even, and the right-hander felt like he was starting over when he got back on the mound. cheap jerseys .S. Open on Wednesday as he recovers from back surgery that has kept him out of golf for nearly three months.BLED, Slovenia -- Canadas lightweight womens double advanced to the finals and earned an Olympic berth Saturday at the world rowing championships. The Victoria duo of Lindsay Jennerich and Patricia Obee finished second in their semifinal. That puts the crew in Sundays final and qualifies the boat for the 2012 Olympic Games. "Obee and I feel very happy that we raced a race that earned Canada a berth in the 2012 Olympics," said Jennerich, the 2010 world champion in the event. "I think that the race today was for the nation and tomorrow, we can go out there and race for ourselves and see just how fast we can go. "Im really proud of the maturity and poise that Obee has showed thus far at this regatta, and after only two races with her I feel she has earned absolute trust from me." Obee, still only 19, is the lightweight team alternate filling in for Tracy Cameron, who is recovering from a rib injury. She earned a bronze medal earlier this summer at the world under-23 championships in the lightweight single. Australia won the semi in seven minutes 3.25 seconds, Canada was second in 7:03.74, while the U.S. (7:04.60) also advanced. Greece, New Zealand and Britain will also contend for medals Sunday after advancing from the other semifinal. Another highlight for the Canadian team was a Paralympic qualification in the adaptive coxed four. "The goal of the semifinal was to qualify a boat for the 2012 Paralympics," said WWinnipegs Meghan Montgomery, 2010 world champion in this event. cheap nfl jerseys. . "We did that with a solid race today. We had good races in both the heat and the semi, and now we are going to put the things that worked well together into one race and give it our all in the final." The four (LTA4+) consists of Montgomery, Tony Theriault of Victoria, Ottawas David Blair, Torontos Victoria Nolan and Laura Comeau of St. Catharines, Ont. The mens pair also already qualified for the Olympics but failed to reach the podium Saturday. Dave Calder of Victoria and Scott Frandsen of Kelowna, B.C., the 2008 Olympic silver medallists in the event, finished fifth. Eric Murray and Hamish Bond of New Zealand dominated the race to win in 6:14.77, less than a second off the worlds best time. The lightweight mens double of Doug Vandor of Dewittville, Que., and Cam Sylvester of Caledon, Ont., finished sixth in their semi to move into the B final. The pair will have to finish in top five (or 11th overall) in the B final to achieve Olympic qualification. The mens four was also sixth in its semi. Montreals Derek OFarrell, Will Dean of Kelowna, Winnipegs Kevin Kowalyk and Vancouvers Anthony Jacob will row in the B final and can still qualify the boat for the Olympics with a fifth-place finish. The womens double of Kerry Shaffer of Welland, Ont., and Emily Cameron of Summerside, P.E.I., finished first in the C final in 7:02.98 to finish 13th overall. cheap nfl jerseys cheap jerseys ' ' ' |
