"Sidney Crosby smiled. He wiped sweat from his face. He spoke to a phalanx of cameras and microphones.

Most important, he skated Friday at BankAtlantic Center.

The occasion was his first time back on the ice since he had a recurrence of concussion symptoms in early December and his first interview in a month.

There are still some things that concern the Penguins captain and face of the NHL. Among them are a lingering problem handling motion, his disappointment in having to go through this recovery process again and his aversion to being a distraction for the club.

Much lower on his list is the social media swirl of vitriol being aimed at him.

After about 25 minutes skating and shooting pucks with Penguins conditioning coach Mike Kadar at he end of the game-day skate, Crosby said he "felt pretty good. It's nice to get back out there."

He is improving but not symptom-free. There are still headaches and some of the same vestibular system issues that prolonged his recovery after a Jan. 6, 2011, concussion diagnosis. He got relief over the summer when he went through gyroscope-like treatments with Ted Carrick, a chiropractor and concussion specialist in Georgia.

"That will be the real test -- the motion stuff has kind of been the issue for the time before and a bit now," Crosby said. "The good thing is I have a pretty good handle on it, and I was able to improve that. When I went to Atlanta, that was a big help in August, so I know I can handle that if I need to, if it comes to that."

He would rather the motion and balance problems go away without a return trip to Atlanta."