Canada’s Sidney Crosby to miss Olympic gold medal game with injury
Sidney Crosby will not join Canada’s lineup for the team’s gold medal game against the United States on Sunday.
The team’s captain was considered a game-time decision by coach Jon Cooper on Saturday.
Crosby sat out his team’s 3-2 semifinal victory on Friday, which secured their spot in the final. In his absence, Sam Bennett returned to the rotation after missing the previous contest due to illness.
Scratches for 🇨🇦/🇺🇸 CAN: Sidney Crosby Josh Morrissey Darcy Kuemper USA: Kyle Connor Jackson Lacombe Jeremy Swayman
Crosby’s availability has been in question since the quarterfinals against Czechia, where he logged just 4:41 of ice time across seven shifts. Canada was trailing 2-1 at the time of the injury. Prior to that, the Pittsburgh Penguins captain was a force in the tournament, tallying six points (two goals and four assists) while sitting third in team scoring behind only Connor McDavid and Macklin Celebrini.
Over the last 16 years, Crosby has been the cornerstone of Canadian success. It started with him scoring the golden goal in the 2010 Winter Olympics, and then he tallied another big goal in the final four years later to win his second. Since then, Crosby has helped Canada win gold at the 2015 World Championship, 2016 World Cup of Hockey and the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off.
This season with the Penguins, he has recorded 59 points in 56 games. He is currently on pace for an 87-point season, which would be the 15th time he has cleared the 80-point mark in his Hall of Fame career.
Sam Bennett will remain in the lineup after helping Canada in its comeback on Friday. Bennett was in the box for Finland’s 1-0 goal, but bounced back to help make an effective fourth line with Brandon Hagel and Brad Marchand. He’s play on a line with Tom Wilson and Brad Marchand, while Macklin Celebrini, Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon will make up the top line.
Canada will play the United States in the gold medal game at 8:00 AM ET on Sunday. Canada has won all previous medal-round games against the Americans, taking gold in 2002 and 2010. Canada also beat the U.S. to advance to the gold medal game in 2014, and edged them in overtime to take the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off.
On Saturday, Finland won bronze at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games, beating Slovakia 6-1 in the men’s hockey third-place game.