Canada captain Crosby not ruled out of Olympic semifinal: Cooper

MILAN — Sidney Crosby hobbled down the tunnel favouring his right leg.

The Canadian captain had just been twisted like a pretzel on an awkward hit early in the second period of what eventually turned into a thrilling 4-3 overtime victory for his country against Czechia in the quarterfinals at the Milan Cortina Olympics.

The hockey power, with a nation holding its breath, didn’t have an update on Crosby’s status late Wednesday night amid the celebrations.

There was at least some hope hours later the 38-year-old might still have an on-ice role to play for Canada at the Games.

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Head coach Jon Cooper said following Thursday’s optional practice that Crosby has been “by no means” ruled out for Friday’s semifinal versus Finland.

“We’ve got the best of the best looking at him,” he said. “We’re taking this day by day … we’re not going to put anyone in harm’s way. But if he can play, he’s definitely going to.

“We’ll know more in 24 hours.”

Crosby was hurt when his leg bent in an unnatural direction after taking a hit from Czech defenceman Radko Gudas.

The two-time Olympic gold medallist got back to his skates, but wasn’t moving well before receiving more contact along the boards from Gudas and Czech forward Martin Necas.

Crosby then made his way to the bench and eventually the locker room with Canada’s medical staff, and did not return to the action.

“He’s still around and doing his leadership things,” said defenceman Drew Doughty, who topped the podium with Crosby in both 2010 and 2014. “But we’ve got tons of guys that can step up and fill the leadership void.

“It’s almost impossible to fill the player void, but we’ll do our best.”

Star forward Nathan MacKinnon and depth option Brad Marchand, along with the No. 1 defence pair of Cale Makar and Devon Toews, were also absent from Thursday’s well-attended skate.

Fellow blueliner Josh Morrissey, who sat out the last three games with an undisclosed injury, took part in the session at the event’s main practice rink — a temporary structure adjacent to Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena.

The United States takes on Slovakia in Friday’s other semifinal ahead of Sunday’s gold-medal game.

Canada, meanwhile, will have to stitch the ‘C’ on another jersey if Crosby is unable to play against Finland, with superstar centre Connor McDavid seemingly the most likely choice.

“Everybody’s different in their own way,” McDavid, captain of the Edmonton Oilers, said of leading. “Everybody goes about things differently. That being said, Sid’s an unbelievable leader, and everybody here watches him and is trying to learn off him.”

Doughty was asked what Crosby, also a three-time Stanley Cup winner with a packed trophy case of personal accolades that now includes the all-time national record for points by an NHLer at the Olympics, has meant to Canadian hockey over the last two-plus decades.

“I don’t even know what words to use,” the 37-year-old defenceman said of the Pittsburgh Penguins captain. “He’s the guy that showed all the young guys — young players growing up — what it means to be Canadian, what it means to be a Canadian hockey player.

“I even feel that being a teammate of his … that just shows you how special it is.”

Whether or not Crosby, whose been centring a line with Mitch Marner and Mark Stone, suits up Friday with a spot in the Olympic final on the line, Canada knows it needs to be a lot better than it was against Czechia.

The Canadians cruised to the No. 1 seed in the preliminary round, including a 5-0 victory over the Czechs, but were pushed to the limit Wednesday.

Nick Suzuki scored with 3:27 left in regulation to force overtime before Marner won it at 1:22 of the 3-on-3 extra period on a stunning individual effort to rescue the country from what would have equalled its worst showing at an NHL-featured Olympics — matching a disastrous 2006 ouster in the quarters.

Finland, meanwhile, came back from a late 2-0 deficit Wednesday to get past Switzerland 3-2 in OT and advance.

“Your tournament kind of flashes before your eyes,” McDavid said. “Makes you grateful for another day here in this tournament, grateful for another game. They feel the same way, I’m sure. I know we feel energized by it. I’m sure they do, too.”

Cooper expects an even tougher test in the semis.

“Dedicated group, they check, structured, world-class players,” he said. “I don’t care where you are, what tournament it is, the Finns always seem to be standing when it comes to medal time.

“If you remotely take that team lightly, they’re going to bite you.”

And even if Crosby isn’t able to make his race against the health clock, the hockey icon’s presence will be felt.

“He’s Sidney Crosby,” McDavid said. “He’s going to have a big influence, no matter what. In the lineup, not in the lineup.

“That’s what he does.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first reporter Feb. 19, 2026.

Joshua Clipperton, The Canadian Press