PITTSBURGH, Jan. 23 (UPI) -- Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby, the top vote-getter for the 2011 NHL All-Star Game, won't play due to a concussion, multiple sources said Sunday.
The sources, cited by the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, said Crosby definitely won't participate in the Jan. 30 contest in Raleigh, N.C., and that his Penguins teammate, Evgeni Malkin, is very unlikely to play.
Crosby has missed eight straight games with concussion syndromes after taking a hit in a Jan. 5 game against Tampa Bay. The Penguins have said they believe the superstar forward was hurt in a hit from behind by Tampa Bay defenseman Victor Hedman in that game.
Crosby also took a hit to the head from Washington forward David Steckel during the Jan. 1 outdoor game in Pittsburgh.
Crosby has since called for the NHL to more stringently enforce new rules outlawing blindside shots to the head, but neither Hedman nor Steckel have been penalized by the league, the Tribune-Review noted.
Malkin, meanwhile, is suffering from an injured knee.
