MILAN — In the immediate aftermath of Sidney Crosby leaving a game because of injury, Jon Cooper said he didn’t know Crosby’s status and noted, ‘I don’t even have my poker face on.’
It was back on the next day, as Cooper declined to give a definitive answer on the status of Canada’s men’s hockey team captain, who did not partake in an optional practice on Feb. 19. However, Cooper did not rule him out for the remainder of the 2026 Winter Olympics, which at most would be two games. Canada plays a semifinal game against Finland on Feb. 20 at Milan Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena. Win or lose, there’s a medal game next.
‘Sid is by no means ruled out of the tournament,’ Cooper said. ‘We’ve got the best of the best looking at him. We’re taking this day by day. And we’re not going to put anyone in harm’s way. But if he can play, he’s definitely going to. We’ll know more in again in 24 hours.’
What happened to Sidney Crosby?
Canada needed overtime to advance out of a quarterfinal match against Czechia, and had to make do for more than half of it without Crosby.
Crosby was injured on a hard hit from Czechia’s Radko Gudas, with Crosby’s right leg buckling as he went down. He was also crunched by Martin Necas. Crosby hobbled to Canada’s bench, then down the tunnel, and did not return.
Instead, he addressed his teammates during the second intermission, when it was 2-2, essentially urging them to go get the victory.
‘There was a lot more than that,’ Cooper said. ‘You know, he’s a true leader.’
How has Crosby performed?
Crosby, 38, has two goals and four assists in four games at the Olympics. In the NHL, he leads his Pittsburgh Penguins with 59 points in 56 games.
‘He’s probably one of the toughest guys in the whole league,’ Canada teammate Nick Suzuki said. ‘Just seeing him off the ice the way he takes care of himself, you know, all the treatment, all the mobility work, always taking care of his body to prepare for the next day. So you can see why he’s played for so long and at such a high level, just the way he handles himself.’