PITTSBURGH -- Sidney Crosby has been nothing but upbeat about the Pittsburgh Penguins' fourth outdoor game, Saturday against the Philadelphia Flyers at Heinz Field.
He has no apparent reservations about participating in one of the NHL's Stadium Series spectacles, even though he and the Penguins have had mixed results playing without a roof. Moreover, despite being a superstitious sort, Crosby can smile at the prospect of returning to the stadium normally occupied by the NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers.
In the 2011 Winter Classic at Heinz Field, a 3-2 loss to Washington, Crosby got clocked by a blindside hit by the Capitals' David Steckel, resulting in a concussion and heavily chronicled complications that forced Crosby to missed 101 games over the next season and a half in the prime of his career.