Crosby

PITTSBURGH — Sidney Crosby's badly sprained ankle will force him to miss Sunday's NHL All-Star game, and a number of games after that. How many still isn't certain.

Crosby, the leading All-Star vote-getter, injured his right ankle Friday during the Pittsburgh Penguins' 3-0 loss to Tampa Bay, and the preliminary diagnosis was a high ankle sprain.

Team doctors are expected to re-examine his ankle today. The ligament injury normally requires a long recovery — usually at least a month, and often longer.

The Penguins placed their captain on the injured list Monday, a procedural move that allowed them to add an extra forward for their two games before the break. The move was retroactive to Friday, and a player must stay on the injury list at least a week.

The NHL has not formally announced Crosby won't play Sunday, but the nature of the injury means Crosby is certain to be out for an extended stretch.

For now, the Penguins can only guess how long last season's scoring champion and MVP will be sidelined from a team that has overcome a poor start to become a prime Eastern Conference playoff contender.

Other athletes who have had a high ankle sprain — it is common in the NFL — say it is frustrating because rehabilitation alone can't cure it and considerable rest is needed.

Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, for example, has been out since Dec. 6 with a high ankle sprain and is not yet ready to return. When Fleury was hurt, it was estimated he would return in six to eight weeks.