NHL superstar Sydney Crosby has bagged four points for his Pittsburgh Penguins on his comeback to the ice after an injury absence of almost a year.

­The fans greeted their hero with chants of “Crosby! Crosby!” in a packed Consol Energy Center which was as  energetic as if the Stanley Cup finals had come early.

And the 24-year-old wasted no time in proving he was back for good, being instrumental in the Pens 5-0 thrashing of the visiting New York Islanders.

The Canadian scored two goals and added two assists on the night, with Russia’s Evgeny Malkin netting after one of them, to become the first star of the day in the league.

"I think now's the easy part, now you get to play," Crosby told AP news agency after the game. "When you're getting ready, that's the tough part, practising and going through each of those steps, trying to get through each stage. That's really all the hard work. Now you've just got to go out and do it."

Crosby missed 10 months’ play due to concussion-like symptoms which started back in January after he took a hit from Tampa Bay's Victor Hedman.

The recovery of the NHL’s most popular player was long and complicated, with return being delayed several times. There were even rumors of his forced retirement from hockey at such a young age.

The player confessed he had worries before stepping back out onto the ice.  

"I think that anyone who has gone through this would be lying if they said they weren't anxious to get those first couple of hits in, whether it's giving it or taking it," he said. "After that, it's back to normal."

Crosby has been with the Pittsburgh team since 2005, becoming the youngest captain in NHL history to win the lift of the Stanley Cup in 2009. He also led Canada to Olympic gold at the home Games in Vancouver 2010.