Team Canada Suffers Massive Blow Before Gold Medal Game

Sidney Crosby is not playing in the gold medal game for Team Canada against the U.S. on Feb. 22.

Crosby previously left Canada's quarterfinal matchup against Czechia early. Crosby did not come out for the third period following a pair of hits. Crosby was in pain on the bench for some time and then went down the tunnel for the locker room. To be more specific, as Crosby dumped the puck into the offensive zone near the center line, Czechia defenseman Radko Gudas stepped up on the veteran center. Trying to avoid the hit, he ducked down low but fell awkwardly with Gudas landing on top of him. His right leg also appeared to bend awkwardly.

The Pittsburgh Penguins' star appeared to keep weight off of his right leg as he skated to the bench and departed to the locker room for further evaluation.

Per Bleacher Report and ESPN, Crosby also underwent an MRI.

Emily Kaplan also reported that sources told ESPN that Crosby was seen wearing a walking boot at the hotel on Feb. 20.

Canada to Vow for Gold Medal Without Sidney Crosby

Through the first three Winter Olympics games, Crosby posted six goals (two goals, four assists) for Team Canada. The Canadians took down Finland 3-2 without Crosby on Feb. 20 after trailing 2-0 to advance to the gold medal game.

Team Canada captain Sidney Crosb — Feb 13, 2026; Milan, Italy; Sidney Crosby of Canada during the warm up before the match against Switzerland in men's ice hockey group A play during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Players such as Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon and Macklin Celebrini are expected to continue stepping up in Crosby's absence. Celebrini — only 19 — leads all players in the Olympics with five goals.

McDavid previously wore the "C" in place of Crosby, with Cale Makar and MacKinnon serving as alternates.

Crosby is known for being an absolute NHL legend; the 38-year-old has a whopping 1,746 points across 652 goals and 1,094 assists. He has played his entire career with the Penguins after being selected by Pittsburgh at No. 1 overall back in 2005.

Team USA and Canada are meeting for the 20th time in the Winter Olympics, with the U.S. winning the last ever Olympic meeting between the two teams with a 4-2 final score at the 2022 Olympics in Beijing. The last time the two nations met up in international competition was with a 3-2 win for the Canadians in the 4 Nations Face-Off. Both the Americans and Canada went a perfect 3-0 in the Milano Cortina preliminary round. Defenseman Quinn Hughes of the Minnesota Wild is Team USA's point and time on ice leader entering the Feb. 22 game, with the Canadians' Connor McDavid needing just two assists to set the all-time Canadian record for one Winter Olympics.

Puck drop against Team USA is slated for 8:10 a.m. EST.

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