Sidney Crosby has another injury scare with head-first dive into boards, stays in game

The welfare of Sidney Crosby's brain has been a hot topic during this Penguins-Capitals second round series. Crosby, who has a long history of head injuries, suffered a concussion during Game 3 last week but only missed one game before returning to the lineup.

From the outside looking in, a lot of people wondered if the Penguins' captain was rushing back to the ice too soon. Regardless, he was cleared by doctors and he returned to action for Game 5.

But during Monday's Game 6 in Pittsburgh, Crosby had another head injury scare on this brutal collision with the boards during the first period.

https://twitter.com/PeteBlackburn/status/861739677388349440

After being tripped by Braden Holtby's stick on the goaltender's follow-through, Crosby went headfirst into the endboard ... and he went in hard. Crosby appeared to be dazed and got up slowly, but he wasn't pulled from the game.

Both Crosby and the Penguins' medical professionals feel good enough to allow him to continue playing in this series despite its violent nature, and they would know better than anyone watching from home. That being said, it'd be hard to blame any fans for feeling a bit uncomfortable watching this all play out the way it has.