Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby underwent surgery for a core muscle injury Thursday and is out a minimum of six weeks, the team announced.

General manager Jim Rutherford said that the surgery was performed by Dr. William Meyers of the Vincera Institute in Philadelphia. The team said in a statement that Crosby has been dealing with a sports hernia since training camp.

Crosby, 32, left the ice in the third period of the Penguins' shootout win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday. It wasn't clear when he was injured, but he had fallen awkwardly and also took a puck off the leg earlier in the game.

Crosby leads the Penguins with 17 points on five goals and 12 assists in 17 games. Pittsburgh is currently fourth in the Metropolitan Division.