‘Tough decision’: Crosby misses Canada’s gold-medal OT loss with injury

MILAN – Sidney Crosby put his teammates — and his country — first.

The Canadian captain desperately wanted to compete for his third Olympic gold medal, holding out hope his lower-body injury would heal just in time for Sunday’s final.

But he never reached a point where he could play without compromising the team, and Canada lost 2-1 in overtime to the United States in an instant classic at the Milan Cortina Games on Sunday.

“It’s a gold-medal game — Olympics,” said Crosby, head down with a silver medal hanging from his neck in a mixed zone packed with reporters. “If I could play, then I’d be out there.

“It was a tough decision. In your head you always want to be out there and find every way possible, but not at the expense of what needs to be done. And then watching how we played today, the guys played incredible.’”

Crosby did his watching from the trainer’s room as his teammates went to war against their archrivals. Canada outshot the U.S. 42-28 in a dominant performance, but couldn’t solve goalie Connor Hellebuyck a second time in a game defined by missed opportunities.

After Jack Hughes buried the OT winner for the Americans, Crosby suited up to join a sombre medal ceremony inside Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena.

“It’s just disappointment,” Crosby said. “It’s just not fun when you lose, regardless of how it happens or the outcome. I just feel for the entire group and the entire situation.”

Veteran defenceman Drew Doughty, who captured gold with Crosby in 2010 and 2014, said he felt for Crosby — and the team.

“At the same time, we just had to go on and play the game without him on the ice,” he said. “There’s really nothing you can do. It sucks not to have him, but I thought we played a hell of a game.”

Crosby authored one of the greatest where-were-you-when moments in Canadian sports history when he scored the golden goal against the U.S. in the 2010 Olympic final in Vancouver.

The Pittsburgh Penguins superstar also captained the country to another title in 2014 — and led Canada to a 4 Nations Face-Off win at last year’s appetizer ahead of the Games in Italy.

The 38-year-old from Cole Harbour, N.S., was adding another chapter to his iconic international resume in Milan as the NHL returned to the Olympics for the first time in 12 years, producing six points through three preliminary-round games.

Then his leg bent awkwardly beneath him on a crushing neutral-zone hit from Czech captain Radko Gudas in the quarterfinals, knocking him out for the remainder of the tournament.

The possibility that marked the end of his Olympic career — Crosby will be 42 when the Winter Games reach the French Alps in 2030 — crossed his mind as he weighed whether or not to suit up Sunday.

“But ultimately that’s not how you make your decision,” he said. “It was about what’s best for our group and what gives us the best chance to win.

“That becomes pretty clear at that point. If I’m not able to go, I’m not gonna compromise our team, put myself ahead of that.’

Connor McDavid served as captain in the semifinals and the gold-medal game with Crosby on the shelf.

The Edmonton Oilers superstar was named the tournament’s MVP, totalling 13 points (two goals, 11 assists) to set a scoring record at a single Olympics with NHL players.

“He’s a natural leader,” Crosby said. “I feel for the entire group, him included, the way he played, everything that he did. It’s unfortunate we couldn’t find a way.’”

Crosby holds the Canadian NHL-era record of 16 career Olympic points. Defenceman Josh Morrissey also missed the game with an upper-body injury sustained in the tournament opener.

Canada’s loss ended a 15-game winning streak at NHL-attended Olympics, dating back to a round-robin loss to the U.S. in 2010.

Canadian forward Brad Marchand — a fellow Nova Scotian — said the entire team was pulling to “Win it for Sid.”

“You feel bad letting a guy like that down,” he said. “One of the best-ever to play, one of the best leaders to ever play the game. Wish we could have got it done for him.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 22, 2026.