Team Canada’s Sidney Crosby had to exit Wednesday’s quarterfinal contest against Czechia in the second period at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena for the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics.
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The Pittsburgh Penguins center did not return as Canada escaped the quarterfinal with a 4-3 win in overtime.
Crosby suffered a lower-body injury after taking body-blows from Czechia’s Radko Gudas and Martin Necas.
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Crosby’s status is unknown before Canada’s semifinal matchup against Finland on Friday.
Per an update Thursday morning by Emily Kaplan of ESPN, Crosby is set to undergo an MRI to find out how serious the injury is. It appears to be a right leg issue for the 38-year-old athlete.
Team Canada coach Jon Cooper said Crosby has not been ruled out for Friday’s contest.
“We have the best of the best looking at him,” Cooper said.
The injury is being designated as a day-to-day issue until Team Canada gets the results of the MRI. Crosby, a 2005 first-round pick by the Penguins, did not practice on Thursday.
On Wednesday, Cooper said “something definitely went wrong” in regards to Crosby’s health on the ice. Crosby chose to exit the game because he no longer thought he could help Team Canada. The coach added that the situation “was rare to see.”
Cooper said Team Canada used Crosby’s injury as motivation to make a comeback against a feisty Czechia team.
“(Crosby) couldn’t come out for the third, but he did address the players, and I think that was a big thing coming in,” Cooper said. “If we lose this game, we didn’t want this to be Sid’s last game at this Olympics. So it was big motivator for the guys coming out.”
With Crosby sidelined, Mitch Marner of the Vegas Golden Knights played the hero for Team Canada in overtime, scoring the winning goal to send the team to the semifinals.
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