Sidney Crosby making progress after 1st full practice

Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby could be close to making his season debut.

The 29-year-old has been sidelined since Oct. 7 after sustaining a concussion in pre-season practice. It is his third documented concussion.

Although he remains day-to-day, the Cole Harbour, N.S. native showed signs of progress by participating in his first full-contact practice on Monday in Pittsburgh.

"I got the OK to go out there and be in a full practice," Crosby said. "It was just good to be back on the ice with the guys. It's not easy watching. To be out there was nice and hopefully a good step."

Head coach Mike Sullivan gave no timeframe for Crosby's potential return, however he wasn't ruling out Tuesday's game against the Florida Panthers.

"Sid is day-to-day, as he has been. We'll take [Tuesday] as it comes," Sullivan said. "It's obviously a big step when he joins the group.

"To have him join the group in a full-contact practice like that is encouraging from our standpoint."

The Penguins are 3-2-1 in their opening six games without Crosby.

On Monday, Crosby skated on a line with Scott Wilson and Patric Hornqvist, taking part in line rushes and power plays. Crosby has been skating on his own since being diagnosed, but said he hasn't experienced any concussion-like symptoms.

"No, I feel good," Crosby said. "It's good to have some days like that and hopefully I can build from here."