Uncertainty continues to surround the status of Penguins forward Sidney Crosby, who was injured in Wednesday’s Olympic quarterfinals contest between Canada and Czechia.
Canada coach Jon Cooper provided an update to reporters in Milan following his team’s optional morning skate Thursday, in which Crosby did not partake.
“Sid is by no means ruled out of the tournament,” Cooper said. “We’ve got the best of the best looking at him. … We’re taking this day by day. And 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, who is Canada’s captain, absorbed an awkward hit from Czechia defenseman Radko Gudas and forward Martin Necas in the second period and was forced to depart the contest.
After heading to the bench and being attended to by a Hockey Canada staffer, the 38-year-old Crosby left for the locker room and did not return, with his team going on to triumph 4-3 in overtime.
Team Canada faces Finland in the semifinals Friday with a chance to advance to the gold medal game Sunday.
Through four Olympic contests, Crosby has scored two goals with four assists.
Crosby’s Olympic injury coincided while the Pittsburgh Penguins conducted a team practice in Cranberry.
After practice wrapped, Crosby’s teammates and coach Dan Muse became apprised with the franchise pillar’s on-ice collision and injury.
Unsurprisingly, the Penguins weren’t able to offer much information.
“First I heard of anything was when I was walking down the hallway here,” Muse said Wednesday. “You’re always keeping tabs on everything. We’ll see where things are at.”
Crosby previously served as captain for Team Canada in the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, winning a gold medal. At the 2010 games, he scored the game-winning goal against the United States to capture his first Olympic gold medal.
With a preliminary-round goal Feb. 15 against France, Crosby notched his 15th career point to step into first place all-time for Team Canada in Olympics featuring NHL players.
“It’s almost impossible to fill the player void, but we’ll do our best,” defenseman Drew Doughty told The Associated Press. “Guys got to step up.”
Nick Suzuki took Crosby’s spot between Mitch Marner and Mark Stone in the quarterfinals and scored the tying goal with 3:27 left on a perfect deflection. He’s a natural fit to stay there, if Crosby is unavailable.
“Hopefully we can have Sid back, but I think I can find a way to play with anybody,” Suzuki said to the AP. “They’re two super smart players. Think they both play a pretty similar game to me, so when I got put there, kind of felt pretty easy for a segment to have two wingers like that.”
If Crosby cannot play, Olympic rules require another player to wear the “C” as captain for the game. In the NHL, teams almost always have an extra player wear an “A” as alternates, and some do not have a captain at all.
Connor McDavid, the leading scorer at the Olympics and captain of the Edmonton Oilers, figures to be the guy to take over for Crosby, whom he idolized growing up. Cooper did not want to make that declaration since Crosby had not been ruled out.
Sam Bennett looks like the forward who would go in if Crosby does not play. Even if not in uniform, his teammates expect Crosby to still lead behind the scenes.
“He’s Sidney Crosby,” McDavid said. “He’s going to have a big influence, no matter what. In the lineup, not in the lineup, he’s going to have a big influence. That’s what he does.”
The 2026 Olympics mark a return to competition for the NHL, which did not send players to participate in the 2018 games in PyeongChang or Beijing in 2022.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.