Pittsburgh Penguins' Sidney Crosby Ruled Out for Canada's Olympic Semifinal Against Finland

Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby will not play for Team Canada in Friday's Olympic semifinal against Finland at Milano Cortina 2026. The 38-year-old sustained a lower-body injury during the second period of Canada's 4-3 overtime quarterfinal victory over Czechia on Wednesday.

Crosby's absence removes Canada's designated captain for the 10:40 a.m. ET semifinal at Santagiulia Arena. The three-time Stanley Cup champion leaves a significant void as Canada pursues its first Olympic gold medal with NHL players since 2014 in Sochi.

Connor McDavid likely to take Canada’s captaincy in Sidney Crosby’s absence

Connor McDavid will wear the captain's armband against Finland under International Ice Hockey Federation rules requiring a designated captain for every game. The Edmonton Oilers captain already leads the tournament with 11 points and sits one point away from breaking the Olympic scoring record.

McDavid downplayed the captaincy change when addressing Crosby's influence on the team. The 29-year-old emphasized that Crosby will impact the team regardless of his playing status. Canada's depth of leadership ensures the transition will not disrupt their gold medal pursuit.

Nick Suzuki replaces Crosby as the center on Canada's third line alongside Mitch Marner and Mark Stone. The Montreal Canadiens forward filled that role after Crosby left Wednesday's quarterfinal and scored the tying goal with 3:27 remaining in regulation.

Macklin Celebrini moves onto Canada's first power-play unit with McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, Sam Reinhart and Cale Makar. The 19-year-old San Jose Sharks forward replaced Crosby on that unit against Czechia and assisted on MacKinnon's power-play goal that tied the game 2-2.

Jordan Binnington acknowledged Crosby's special presence in any locker room while emphasizing Canada's determination to compete hard in his absence. The St. Louis Blues goaltender recognized that Crosby wants the team to leave everything on the ice regardless of his playing status.

Crosby compiled six points through four Olympic games with two goals and four assists. The Penguins captain was pursuing his third Olympic gold medal after capturing titles at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics and 2014 Sochi Olympics. His tournament remains alive despite missing the semifinal.

The injury occurred at 4:55 of the second period when Czech defenseman Radko Gudas toppled over Crosby at the red line. Crosby's legs appeared to split during the collision as he fell awkwardly. He stayed on the ice while favoring his right leg before returning to play.

Thirteen seconds later, Crosby absorbed another hit from Martin Necas and Gudas along the boards. He took two strides toward center ice before pulling up and circling to the bench. Medical staff examined him briefly before he departed for the dressing room with 13:55 remaining in the period.

Canada faces defending Olympic champion Finland with a gold medal game berth at stake on Friday morning. The winner advances to Sunday's final, while the loser competes for bronze on Saturday. Finland captured gold in Beijing 2022 when NHL players did not participate in the tournament.


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