Sidney Crosby nearly suited up for Canada in gold medal game: 'I was pretty close'
Sidney Crosby was forced to watch Canada lose to the United States in Sunday’s Olympic gold medal game, but how close did he get to suiting up?
The Canadian captain suffered an injury during the team’s quarterfinal matchup against Czechia and couldn’t play in the semi-final vs. Finland or the gold medal match against the USA.
It seemed unthinkable that a player like Crosby would be sidelined for such an important game. Yet, when puck drop arrived, it was confirmed that he would not be in the Canadian lineup.
Though he very nearly laced up the skates for this one. Talking with the media after the disappointing loss, the 38-year-old shed some light on the process leading up to the big game.
“I was pretty close,” Crosby said. “Ultimately, I wasn’t able to go out there and do what I needed to do in order to help the team… That’s hockey.”
Sidney Crosby said he’s proud of the way Team Canada played during the Games despite the results of this gold-medal match at #MilanoCortina2026 🏒 pic.twitter.com/vznHpHonLZ
— CBC Olympics (@CBCOlympics) February 22, 2026
Crosby still suited up to be with his Canadian teammates in the aftermath of the loss. He has been a fearless leader for Canada and among the most iconic players to ever come out of the country.
It wasn’t the ending he wanted, but there was no way he was going to shy away from being with his team during a difficult moment. He was proud of how the team performed despite the loss.
“It’s a lot easier playing than watching,” Crosby said. “I think everyone should be proud of the way the team performed. I thought that we did everything but score. In every facet, we were so good today. I thought we deserved better.
“Unfortunately, we didn’t come away with the win.”
The decision not to play appears to have come straight from Crosby. He praised the team doctors for all their work, but said he didn’t want to compromise the team’s success by playing injured.
It was a selfless decision from the two-time Olympic gold medallist, and one that nearly paid off as Canada was just a shot away from winning it all.
“It was a tough decision,” Crosby said. “In your head, you always want to be out there, and you want to find every way possible, but not at the expense of what needs to be done.”
This one will sting for Crosby and every member of Team Canada for quite some time. It was an impressive effort to push the USA to the brink without Crosby in the lineup, but falling just short of the ultimate goal hurts.
The question now becomes: Was this the last Olympic Games for Crosby?