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Is Sidney Crosby’s family asking him to retire because of concussion problems? (Probably not)

Sidney Crosby

Pittsburgh Penguins’ Sidney Crosby (87) warms up before an NHL hockey game against the Tampa Bay Lightning in Pittsburgh, Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2011. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Gene J. Puskar

Just when you thought the Zdeno Chara-Max Pacioretty controversy would force Sidney Crosby’s concussion issues to the background for just a little bit, Twitter was abuzz for a bit today with the latest Sid-related rumor.

Apparently Fan 590’s Bob McCown claimed that Crosby’s family is trying to convince him to retire because of the concussion issues that derailed what could have been the best individual season of his already impressive career. While concussions can be serious enough to end a career prematurely, Darren Dreger refuted the claim via Crosby’s agent Pat Brisson.

Brisson said that Crosby’s parents have been “extremely encouraging and supportive” and they will never feed any negative pulse to such a passionate mind.”

So, from the sound of the things, you can relax about Crosby retiring at this point. It’s not crazy to wonder if his family is concerned about his health - and maybe someone in the Crosby clan is whispering the word “retirement” in someone’s ear - but it’s no time to panic.

Naturally, we’ll keep you updated if anything changes or something concrete surfaces. If nothing else, it’s at least a momentary distraction during a day when frivolous hockey talk can be a valuable escape.