The Pittsburgh Penguins are missing two of their players after their COVID-19 tests came back positive.
Star center and team captain Sidney Crosby and defenseman Brian Dumoulin missed practice Wednesday and are under COVID protocols, team officials said on Twitter.
Not the news we were hoping for.
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) November 3, 2021
Coach Sullivan confirms that Sidney Crosby and Brian Dumoulin missed practice after testing positive for COVID-19. Both players are in the COVID protocol right now.
Crosby has mild symptoms and Dumoulin is currently asymptomatic.
Coach Mike Sullivan said previously that having players test positive for the coronavirus is bad luck more than anything, WPXI reported.
Crosby, according to team officials, has mild symptoms. Dumoulin is asymptomatic.
Crosby had missed the first part of the season and recently rejoined the team on the ice, WPXI reported last week.
Sullivan said of the captain’s diagnosis, “I’m sure he’s discouraged. He worked extremely hard to get to this point, and we were all so excited about getting him back in the fold. This puts another road block in front of it. But we’ll control what we can, and we’re hopeful that Sid will return soon.”
Sullivan on Crosby: "I'm sure he's discouraged. He worked extremely hard to get to this point, and we were all so excited about getting him back in the fold. This puts another road block in front of it. But we'll control what we can, and we're hopeful that Sid will return soon."
— Pens Inside Scoop (@PensInsideScoop) November 3, 2021
These aren’t the only COVID-19 cases to hit the Penguins.
Defenseman Kris Letang has recently gotten back on the ice after being under COVID protocols, ESPN and the Penguins reported.
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He told the team’s reporter, “I had pretty much all the symptoms. Congestion, headaches, pressure in the forehead, coughing, loss of taste and smell, body aches and pain in the lower back.”
He said the symptoms lasted about four to five days.
Kris Letang: "I had pretty much all the symptoms. Congestion, headaches, pressure in the forehead, coughing, loss of taste and smell, body aches and pain in the lower back. That lasted between 4-5 days, and after that, it was getting better and better every day."
— Pens Inside Scoop (@PensInsideScoop) November 3, 2021
Kris Letang: "I felt pretty good today. I skated after the guys on Monday, and skated on my own Tuesday for an hour and a half at a pretty high intensity. Today was another step in the right direction. Tomorrow morning I’ll skate and see how it goes."
— Pens Inside Scoop (@PensInsideScoop) November 3, 2021
Defensemen Chad Ruhwedel and Marcus Pettersson are also under COVID-19 protocols, ESPN reported.
The Penguins said they had no cases of COVID-19 last season, but this year they have had multiple.
Crosby was recently named to Team Canada’s 2022 Olympic roster, the Penguins announced.
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