Crosby a game-time decision, Morrissey out for Canada’s gold-medal final at Olympics

MILAN – Connor McDavid waited a long time for his Olympic chance.

One of the most vocal advocates during the NHL’s long march back to the world stage, the superstar centre now sits a solitary victory from realizing a gold-medal dream.

And there’s still a chance his childhood hockey idol will be there to suit up alongside him.

Sidney Crosby took part in Canada’s practice Saturday and remains an option for the country’s winner-take-all matchup with the United States in the men’s final at the Milan Cortina Games.

Head coach Jon Cooper said following an on-ice session closed to media that his captain will be a game-time decision Sunday. Crosby missed Friday’s 3-2 victory over Finland with a lower-body injury suffered in the quarterfinals against Czechia.

“He won’t put himself in harm’s way,” Cooper said at the event’s cramped secondary rink adjacent to Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena. “He’s not gonna put the team in harm’s way. Obviously, we’d love to have him. That determination will be made.”

McDavid said the 38-year-old Crosby, a gold-medal winner for Canada at the 2010 and 2014 Games, was a point of emphasis for the group, especially after falling behind 2-0 to Finland.

“We definitely wanted to give him an opportunity to play one more,” said the Edmonton Oilers captain. “We’ve done that, and we’ll see.”

Cooper added Canada won’t consider dressing Crosby in a limited role.

“We don’t want to have somebody in there as an inspiration when we could have a player that could be capable of helping,” he said. “You never know if guys are gonna get hurt in the game.”

Canadian forward Nick Suzuki, who has taken Crosby’s spot between Mark Stone and Mitch Marner on the second line, said the Pittsburgh Penguins captain’s absence leaves a big hole.

“A massive piece of the team and our leader,” said the Montreal Canadiens captain. “We just want to play the best we can for him if he’s not in the lineup. I thought he looked really good out there on the ice (Saturday).

“Hopefully he’s in.”

That won’t be the case for Josh Morrissey.

The Winnipeg Jets defenceman is out for the tournament finale due to an upper-body injury that’s kept him sidelined since the opener last week. Morrissey also missed the 4 Nations Face-Off final 12 months ago, which Canada won 2-1 in overtime on McDavid’s country-boosting clincher, due to illness.

“That’s a tough one,” Cooper said. “This is a year now we’ve had the same conversation, and I feel for him. He’s just an all-world kid and a hell of a hockey player.”

The U.S., meanwhile, thumped Slovakia 6-2 in the semifinals in Italy to make the culmination of the NHL’s Olympic return following a 12-year absence. The league went to the event five times between 1998 and 2014, but skipped the last two.

Canada is riding a 15-game winning streak at the Olympics with its NHLers dating back to 2010. The Americans lost to Canada in both the 2002 and 2010 gold-medal contests.

The U.S. program, however, has been knocking on the door. 

Apart from a 4 Nations spectacle that saw both teams sit one shot from glory, the U.S. women won gold in Milan, and the men’s under-20 program grabbed the 2024 and 2025 world junior hockey championships. The senior men’s team also captured the world championship for the first time in 92 years last May. 

McDavid, who already owns the record for points by an NHL player at a single Games with 13 across five contests, said there’s a responsibility felt within his locker room’s four walls.

“As Canadians, we take a lot of pride in this sport, and guys that have come before us have done a great job representing the country,” he said. “We’ve played good hockey and put ourselves in a good spot to hopefully do the same.”

“The game, I think, everybody wanted and hoped for,” McDavid added of facing their neighbours to the south.

Star forward Macklin Celebrini, who leads the event with five goals to go along with five assists, said the moment won’t be lost on his country’s talent-rich roster.

“Whenever you represent the Maple Leaf, whenever you represent Canada, it means something more,” said the 19-year-old San Jose Sharks centre. “We’re going to go into that game doing everything we can.”

Tom Wilson wasn’t part of the 4 Nations tournament — the round-robin game between Canada and the U.S. included three fights in nine seconds after puck drop — expects a fast, physical, skilled showdown against an opponent featuring Auston Matthews, Jack Eichel and the brotherly duos of Matthew and Brady Tkachuk, and Quinn and Jack Hughes.

“It’s the two big countries for hockey in the world,” said the bruising Washington Capitals winger. “Every single guy is going to be doing everything they can at every single moment.”

Cooper said the players, staff and management carry the weight of a country that first won gold with its NHLers in 2002.

“We don’t take this tournament lightly,” said the Tampa Bay Lightning head coach. “We never took the process of picking these players lightly … we know what’s at stake here. We know there’s 40 million people at home on the edge of their seats waiting for this to happen. 

“If 4 Nations taught us anything, it’s how beautiful this game is and how intense it is. And if that was the appetizer, I think this is gonna be the main course.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 21, 2026.