Penguins star Sidney Crosby has tested positive for COVID-19

As confirmed by Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan, star player and captain Sidney Crosby has tested positive for COVID-19. Penguins defenseman Brian Dumoulin has also tested positive for COVID. Both players missed practice and are currently placed in the NHL's COVID protocol.

Crosby, who was named Best Athlete in this year's Pittsburgh City Paper Best of Pittsburgh readers' poll, has mild symptoms and Dumoulin is asymptomatic.

Though the overwhelming majority of the Penguins are vaccinated against COVID-19, Crosby and Dumoulin are the seventh and eighth Penguins to go into the COVID-19 protocol since training camp opened in September.

Not the news we were hoping for.

Coach Sullivan confirms that Sidney Crosby and Brian Dumoulin missed practice after testing positive for COVID-19. Both players are in the COVID protocol right now.

Crosby has mild symptoms and Dumoulin is currently asymptomatic.

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) November 3, 2021

After an off-season of recovering from wrist surgery, Crosby finally returned to the team on Saturday, so the timing of this COVID diagnosis is especially frustrating for the Penguins.

"I'm sure he's discouraged. He worked extremely hard to get to this point, and we were all so excited about getting him back in the fold," Sullivan told Penguins team reporter Michelle Crechiolo. "This puts another road block in front of it. But we'll control what we can, and we're hopeful that Sid will return soon."

The Pens have struggled a bit starting this year's NHL season. The team's record is 3-3-2 as of Nov. 3, with the Penguins tied for last place in the Metropolitan Division.