Sidney Crosby’s injury during the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan sent shockwaves through the hockey world and left Team Canada scrambling without its greatest leader.
The Pittsburgh Penguins captain suffered a lower-body injury in the quarterfinal against Czechia on February 18. He was removed from the ice and never returned again, leaving millions of stunned Canadian fans deeply anxious and badly rattled. The moment was alarming, sudden, and unexpected for everyone watching the game unfold.
His absence raised enormous questions about Canada’s gold medal hopes at the Winter Games. His injury and fight to return became one of the defining storylines of the 2026 Olympic hockey tournament.
Let’s take a closer look.
The hit that started it all
A collision with Czechia’s Radko Gudas changed the course of the 2026 Winter Olympics for Team Canada in a matter of seconds.
Crosby appeared to sustain his injury when Czechia’s Radko Gudas toppled over him near the red line, and his legs appeared to dangerously split apart on direct hard impact. He stayed briefly on the ice while trainers quickly rushed over before making his way slowly back to the Canadian bench.
He remained on the Canadian bench for about a minute while medical staff carefully examined him. With 13:55 left in the second period, Crosby walked slowly to the dressing room and never returned to play another shift for the rest of that quarterfinal game against a tough Czechia squad.
Imaging was ordered as the severity remained unknown
The hockey world waited anxiously as Team Canada announced Crosby would undergo imaging to assess the full extent of his lower-body injury.
Crosby would undergo imaging to determine exactly how serious the lower-body damage truly was. Coach Jon Cooper told reporters that the team had the best medical staff available looking after him carefully and that the entire situation was being handled one careful day at a time.
Cooper also confirmed at that point that Crosby had not yet been officially ruled out of the remainder of the tournament. The entire Canadian locker room rallied strongly around him, with multiple players publicly calling the situation a powerful motivator to keep competing hard and winning every single remaining game.
Canada Rallies without its captain in the quarterfinal
Even without Crosby on the ice, Team Canada dug deep to complete a remarkable comeback win over Czechia in the quarterfinals.
Canada trailed in the third period before Nick Suzuki scored the crucial tying goal late in regulation to keep the team firmly alive in the quarterfinal matchup. Mitch Marner then delivered the overtime winner in stunning and dramatic fashion, marking his very first goal of the entire 2026 Olympic tournament.
Crosby addressed the team emotionally between the second and third periods, delivering an impassioned message that visibly fired up the entire locker room. His teammates carried his spirit onto the ice and came away with a dramatic and deeply emotional overtime victory that kept Canada’s gold medal hopes fully alive.
Crosby ruled out of the semifinal against Finland
Despite hope that Crosby might recover in time, he was officially ruled out for Canada’s semifinal matchup against Finland on Friday, February 20. His unexpected absence forced key teammates like Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon to step up massively and carry the full offensive load for a Canadian squad that desperately needed strong leadership and production.
McDavid told reporters that Crosby would still have a very major influence on the team regardless of whether he actually played. Canada came back from two goals down, and Nathan MacKinnon scored the go-ahead power-play goal with 35.2 seconds remaining in the third period to secure a thrilling 3–2 regulation win.
A selfless decision that defined his character
Imaging results brought some relief, revealing that Crosby avoided a worst-case scenario. But the path back to the ice was far from straightforward.
Crosby consulted with several medical specialists in Milan and skated on both Friday and Saturday in sessions completely closed to the media. He was doing absolutely everything in his power to be physically ready for a potential return and appearance in the all-important gold medal final game.
A source described Crosby as having tried everything available but being ultimately unable to suit up and play. It was an entirely selfless decision. He genuinely felt he could not contribute at full capacity and that a healthy player deserved his roster spot far more than himself.
Canada falls short as the USA wins gold in overtime
Without their captain, Canada gave everything in the gold medal game but ultimately fell 2 to 1 in overtime to the United States on February 22.
Jack Hughes scored the winning goal just 1:41 into overtime, firing an accurate wrist shot past Jordan Binnington to give Team USA its first Olympic gold in men’s hockey since the famous 1980 Miracle on Ice. Connor Hellebuyck was absolutely outstanding throughout, stopping an incredible total of 41 Canadian shots.
Canada outshot the United States 42 to 28 across the game and created numerous quality chances to win in the tense and physical third period. Crosby did not dress for the game but later came out in his captain’s jersey to join teammates on the ice for the silver medal presentation.
TL;DR
- Sidney Crosby suffered a lower-body injury in the quarterfinal against Czechia on February 18 after a collision with Radko Gudas.
- He underwent imaging and avoided a worst-case scenario but was ruled out of both the semifinal and the gold medal game.
- Crosby consulted specialists and skated in closed sessions but decided he could not help the team at full capacity.
- Canada beat Czechia and Finland without him before losing to the United States 2 to 1 in overtime in the gold medal game.
This article was made with AI assistance and human editing.
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