MILAN – Pain was evident on Sidney Crosby’s face.
Even with Crosby on the team, Canada has a strong track record. They have never lost a best-on-best tournament with him involved.
During his time on the roster, Canada lost only two games at these tournaments, both against the United States, though they ultimately triumphed over Team USA in the finals.
He’s become the face of hockey largely because of his impressive international accomplishments.
However, on Sunday, it seemed like he may have lost his last chance at Olympic gold. Crosby suffered a lower-body injury during the quarterfinals against the Czech Republic. He did his best to recover but was unable to participate in the rest of the tournament, ending up in the trainer’s room watching Canada fall to the U.S. in an overtime loss, 2-1.
Crosby had skated with the team in a closed practice on Saturday, but just an hour before the game, it was announced that he wouldn’t play due to injury.
“Making that decision was tough,” Crosby reflected. “You always want to push yourself, but you can’t risk it. The team played phenomenally well today.”
There was a sense that, between the lines of his statements, he might have physically been able to play.
Yet he acknowledged he wasn’t at the standard to be effective in a high-speed game like Sunday’s, which is much faster than playoff hockey.
“I could have managed to be on the ice, but I should have witnessed that game,” Crosby said. “It was incredible hockey.”
This situation reminded me of when he injured his left knee during Game 7 of the 2009 Stanley Cup Finals. Back then, he could only manage one shift in the third period and later mentioned he might have hindered the team with his less-than-optimal presence.
2026 Winter Olympics
In that instance, the Penguins came through for him. This time, Team Canada pushed hard, largely thanks to Connor Hellebuyck’s 41 saves and Jack Hughes scoring the overtime goal.
“I found out just this morning,” Nathan MacKinnon, a close friend of Crosby’s from Nova Scotia, shared. “I wasn’t going to pry. I know how much he’s done for us. He seemed totally unavailable today. He could’ve played and sat on the bench, but we needed everyone on the ice. He made that sacrifice for us and for the country.”
