Penguins' Crosby now doing contact drills

PITTSBURGH, Feb. 17 (UPI) -- Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby is participating in full-contact drills for the first time since injuring his right ankle in a game a month ago.

The high-scoring 20-year-old forward said after a weekend practice session his ankle "felt pretty good," the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported Sunday.

Crosby had been skating with the team recently but wearing a yellow jersey to indicate no contact allowed. On Saturday, he wore a regular black jersey and was knocked to the ice at one point but got up laughing, the newspaper said.

"I've said before the biggest thing is getting myself in game shape without setting myself back," Crosby said.

Coach Michel Therrien said Crosby "looked really good" in practice but gave no indication of when the young player might return to lineup.

Crosby won the Hart Memorial Trophy as the NHL's most valuable player last season.