Keith Primeau Jersey Card

Keith Primeau knows a thing or two about concussions, so obviously, when Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby suffered yet another one against the Washington Capitals the other night, Primeau was going to be asked about it. And his answer was brutally honest.

Alex Ovechkin was asked about the hit as well, seeing as Crosby had made contact with him prior to falling into Matt Niskanen's stick. And head trauma professionals (i.e. "doctors") also weighed in, most agreeing that three or four concussions - which is at least where Crosby's at right now counting the current one, the one that sidelined him for two weeks at the beginning of the season and the one that took him away from the game for nearly a year, notwithstanding the times people assumed "concussion" but which he claims were "neck realignment issues" - is when athletes should start considering pulling the plug on their careers, one going so far as to say: "If he were an amateur, we would probably be telling him to hang up his skates".

Of course, Crosby isn't just an amateur, he's one of the best players in the world, one who fills arenas league-wide, has the most secondary-merchandise sales and second-most jerseys sold in the NHL; he's the face of the league, the captain of his team - which happens to be the defending champions - and a media darling who may win one of this year's MVP awards (the Hart is chosen by hockey journalists, while the Ted Linsday winner is selected by the players themselves) after scoring a league-leading 44 goals (side note: yes, it's depressing unsettling that in a non-lockout season, the NHL's leading goal scorer will not have scored 50 goals).

And that's the biggest difference between Primeau and Crosby: Crosby is in his prime, while Primeau was four years removed from his last point-per-game season when he was forced out, but he was still the Philadelphia Flyers' heart and soul - and captain; he provided the inspiration, and players like Simon Gagné provided the goals, kind of like Evgeni Malkin does when Crosby's out.

Crosby seems intent on coming back in this series, so we'll see how it pans out. But if doctors want to keep him away, he'll keep his annual $8.7M salary for the next few years, so it's not like he's not set for life. Should he have to cross that bridge, hopefully he'll make the right call for his later days.

In the meantime, here's Primeau wearing the Flyers' terrible alternate jersey from a decade ago, on card #S-KP from Upper Deck's 2005-06 Series 1 set and Shooting Stars sub-set:

God that's an ugly look, particularly the sleeves. The car features a black game-worn jersey swatch.

"If he were an amateur, we would probably tell him to hang up his skates." - See more at: http://www.timescolonist.com/primeau-doctors-question-whether-crosby-should-return-after-fourth-concussion-1.18138096#sthash.AglrDVdo.dpuf