Sidney Crosby diagnosed with injured vertebrae; could be ready for playoffs diagnosed with injured vertebrae; could be ready for playoffs

OTTAWA — Sidney Crosby has an injury to the C1 and C2 vetebrae, according to Sportsnet's Bob McCown and Elliotte Friedman of CBC.

Freidman, quoting Crosby's agent, Pat Brisson: "Sid did suffer a concussion, but last week, the possibility of two fractured vertebrae (C1 and C2) was discovered. A third doctor is being consulted to determine the exact diagnosis."

McCown said doctors expect Crosby is "heal and be ready for the playoffs," and that the injury was "apparently missed by Pittsburgh doctors."

Crosby's concussion, stemming from a collision with Dave Steckel in the 2011 Winter Classic and a hit from behind by Victor Hedman, kept him out of action for 11 months. He returned on Nov. 21, 2011, scoring four points against the New York Islanders. He played eight games and tallied 12 points before leaving the Penguins' lineup with concussion symptoms.

Crosby visited chiropractic neurology specialist Ted Carrick, who assisted in his previous recovery, and then traveled to California to visit Dr. Robert S. Bray, a neurological spine specialist. That visit with Bray was out of the ordinary in Crosby's rehab, as he's an renowned expert in "neurological spine surgery" rather than concussion rehab.

Penguins GM Ray Shero said today in Ottawa that the Penguins were waiting to see the results from Crosby's visit with doctors in California to his chat with doctors in Pittsburgh: