Sore groin forces Pens' Crosby to leave practice

WEST POINT, N.Y. -- Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby left practice Monday with a sore groin, but plans to participate in team-building activities this week at West Point.

"I felt it a bit," Crosby said. "It was just gradual as the practice wore on. I did not have as much jump as I thought I should have had."

Crosby said his groin injury is "not near" the severity of the one that caused him to miss three games last November. The Penguins lost all three games.

Penguins forward Petr Sykora made the trip to the U.S. Military Academy after having a corrective procedure on his broken nose Friday, but will not practice for at least five days.

The Penguins are spending three days at West Point doing activities designed to create teamwork. The team returns to Pittsburgh to practice Thursday.