About Rob Rossi

Rob Rossi 412-380-5635
NHL/Penguins Reporter
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

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Captain Sidney Crosby visited with teammates and Penguins personnel Thursday prior to an optional practice at Consol Energy Center. Crosby did not speak with reporters, but teammates reported him to again be in good spirits.

He had surgery to repair a broken jaw and a dental procedure since taking a puck to the face in the Penguins' home win over the New York Islanders on Saturday afternoon.

Crosby likely will require at least one more dental procedure to fix his teeth, but his jaw is not wired shut, and he continues to show no concussion symptoms.

Crosby has not resumed off-ice workouts and is out indefinitely.

• Right winger Jarome Iginla was one of eight skaters to participate in the optional practice. He was joined by forwards Tyler Kennedy, Tanner Glass, Dustin Jeffrey and Jussi Jokinen, and defensemen Robert Bortuzzo, Simon Despres and Mark Eaton. Iginla's family arrived from Calgary on Thursday, one week after his acquisition by the Penguins. Iginla arrived in Pittsburgh around midnight last Saturday.

• Jokinen practiced with the Penguins for the first time since he was acquired from Carolina on Wednesday. That was the last of four moves made by general manager Ray Shero over a span of 11 days. Jokinen is wearing No. 36 with the Penguins. Jokinen, an avid NFL fan, said he roots for the Dallas Cowboys but that he likes Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.

• The Penguins will not wear an alternate uniform next season. The club is in the process of working up a new design that could debut as early as the 2014-15 season, which is the 30th anniversary of majority co-owner Mario Lemieux's rookie season. There is, however, no set timetable for the new alternate uniform to debut. The NHL requires a year of advance notice to approve designs. The Penguins have no plans to scrap the black and Las Vegas gold color scheme, and there has been no decision on whether blue — an original franchise color and shades of which were used on the past two alternate uniform sets — will be part of the next third uniform.

— Rob Rossi

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