Penguins' Crosby has oral surgery after being struck in mouth by puck
Hours after being hit in the mouth with a puck and losing several teeth, Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby underwent emergency oral surgery Saturday, according to several media reports.
Crosby was struck by a slap shot from teammate Brooks Orpik that apparently deflected off the stick of another player just 1:28 into the game. Crosby skated off the ice under his own power, although he had a towel covering his clearly bloodied mouth. He did not return to the game afterward.
New teammate Jarome Iginla, who made his debut with the Penguins after being acquired Thursday in a trade with Calgary, saw the incident occur up close.
"He had no chance to move," Iginla said of Crosby. "He didn't see it hit him. It's a very, very unfortunate play.
"It's very tough to see that happen to anybody on the ice, but this is your teammate, and Sid's such a great player and a big part of this team. He's a tough guy and a competitor. Guys were definitely checking to see how he was doing."
Information on where Crosby went for the surgery was not released, but it was believed to be a nearby hospital in downtown Pittsburgh.
Crosby leads in the NHL in scoring with 56 points (15 goals, 41 assists). If he misses extended time, it would allow the league's No. 2 scorer, Tampa Bay's Steven Stamkos, to potentially catch or pass Crosby, who held a 10-point edge over Stamkos coming into Saturday's game.
Pittsburgh beat the Islanders 2-0 Saturday for a league-high 15th straight win, putting the Penguins two victories shy of tying the NHL and Penguins record of 17 straight wins, set by the 1992-93 Penguins captained by Mario Lemieux.
Saturday's injury is the latest to befall Crosby, who has twice been sidelined for lengthy periods by concussions. First was in 2011, when he missed the second half of the season and the playoffs, and then missed most of the 2012 season as symptoms persisted.
