Penguins Get Bad News on Sidney Crosby After Olympics Injury

Penguins star Sidney Crosby won’t return to the ice for at least a month after being placed on injured reserve, the team announced Wednesday.

Pittsburgh declined to reveal the details of Crosby’s lower-body injury. Crosby, 38, suffered an apparent right leg injury during Canada’s quarterfinal win over Czechia in the Milan Cortina Olympics last week. The Canadian captain received two hard hits in the second period of the game that forced him to sit out for the rest of the contest. Crosby later underwent an MRI and was a game-time decision for Canada’s final two games against Finland and the United States but didn’t suit up for either game.

Crosby is expected to miss a minimum of four weeks. https://t.co/K3WB2aQa9y
— Penguins PR (@PenguinsPR) February 25, 2026

“I’m confident. I think we’ve shown all year that we have injuries, and guys have stepped up to get to where we are at this point,” Crosby said of his faith in the Penguins as he recovers from injury. “I think it is because of our team play, I don’t think it has been any one person. I think it’s because collectively as a group we’ve found different ways to win.”

Crosby, who finished the tournament with two goals and six points across four games, said after Canada’s 2-1 overtime loss to Team USA that he was very close to playing in the gold medal match. Crosby also made clear he had no problem with one of the Czechia players’ hits on him that ended his third career Winter Games.

"I didn’t have a problem with the play,” Crosby told reporters Wednesday. “[Radko Gudas] was trying to be physical and step up. Play hard as any defenseman would. It went the wrong way as far as my end of it. I don’t think he should feel the need to reach out or anything like that. It’s hockey and that stuff happens.”

When news of Crosby’s injury broke, Penguins coach Dan Muse said it was part of the game and understood the risks of NHL stars participating in the Winter Games.

“It’s the Olympics,” Muse said. “Anytime these guys get an opportunity to represent their countries, I’m just happy for them. ... To play in a tournament like that, to be playing in that setting, that’s something that I think everybody dreams of.”

Crosby is the franchise’s all-time leader in assists and total games played, and he recently eclipsed Penguins legend Mario Lemieux in December 2025 to become the team’s all-time leader in points as well. He currently leads the Penguins with 27 goals and 32 assists through 56 games, with Pittsburgh sitting in second place in the Metropolitan Division. The Penguins, who haven’t made the Stanley Cup Playoffs since 2022, will face a tough slate without their veteran captain for a sizable chunk of the rest of the regular season but will hope Crosby can make a full recovery.

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