MILAN - Canada will not have captain Sidney Crosby available for the gold medal game against the USA at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
He wasn't on the lineup sheet posted by Hockey Canada posted less than an hour before the puck was to drop at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena between the two hockey rivals.
Crosby was injured four days earlier. He skated on Feb. 21, and coach Jon Cooper said the team would decide what was best for Canada and Crosby.
In international hockey, teams can dress 13 forwards and seven defensemen. Sweden, for example, had injured Victor Hedman sit on the bench in full gear and watch them lose to the USA in the quarterfinal.
But Cooper ruled that out for Crosby, saying on Feb. 21 that, "no that wouldn’t happen," because it's better to have a healthy player available on the bench should there be an injury.
