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| - NHL star Sidney Crosby says he is taking the proper steps to keep himself and others around him safe from COVID-19, and he urged the public to follow suit by social distancing and staying home. "Seeing everyone take this serious and do what they need to do, not only for their own health but for people around them too, that's really the key part of all this," the Pittsburgh Penguins captain said during a conference call on Thursday. "If a big chunk of people do it and others don't, then we're not going to get much accomplished. It's motivating to see (they are)." The NHL has indefinitely suspended its regular season amid the current pandemic, and the Colorado Avalanche said Thursday a player from their team has COVID-19, becoming the third NHL player known to test positive. The NHL season was halted on March 12 and four days later the players were instructed to go home and self isolate. Crosby said if the season eventually resumes he would like to jump straight into the playoffs. "You try to get in as many games as you can but I wouldn't mind starting with the playoffs," he said. "But I think that there's a lot of guys in different situations. "The more games you could play, the better. I think that's a big part. I think you just get as many games in as you can, depending on when and what that would look like." Washington Capitals all-star Alex Ovechkin echoed Crosby's feeling on what the rest of the season should look like, saying the best option is to restart with the postseason. "It's better if the playoffs start right now. We don't want to play those extra games .... I'd rather start the playoffs right away. Sorry, guys," Ovechkin said. Crosby said his new conditioning routine involves a lot of time on the stationary bike at his home in Pittsburgh. "It's kind of old-school," said Crosby. "At this point, whatever you can get done, you get done. So that's what I've been doing. "You don't have a ton of resources to train," he said. "You make the best with what you have. Try to be professional the best we can and make sure we're in the best shape we can be in given the situation. "There is nothing like skating. You just have to make the best of it." gph/bb
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