Team USA took a 2-1 overtime victory over Canada in the Olympic gold medal game. Sidney Crosby missed the game with an injury, and it has been hinted at as his decision.
After the game, Crosby spoke to the media about the decision to miss the final game, according to Michael Dominski of The Athletic.
“It might have crossed my mind a little bit, but ultimately, it was about what's best for our group and what gives us the best chance to win. That becomes pretty clear at that point. If I'm not able to go, then I'm not going to compromise our team or put myself ahead of that,” Crosby said after the game to the media about the idea of play.
The Canadian captain was injured in the second period of the quarterfinals against Czechia. He went straight to the team bench and then to the locker room after being hit. Crosby would then miss the semifinal and the gold medal game.
“So, it might have crossed my mind, but ultimately that's not how you make your decision,” Crosby added about the thought of pushing the play.
Team Canada could have dressed Crosby as the 13th forward and kept him on the bench, cheering on the team, but head coach Jon Cooper decided against that.
“No, it’s too important, we don’t want to have someone in there as an inspiration when we could have a player in there capable of helping,” Cooper responded about dressing Crosby as the 13th forward to have him on the bench. “You never know if guys are going to get hurt in a game. And he wouldn’t want to do that either.”
This led to Crosby not being dressed and watching the game from elsewhere.
“I watched in the training room. We had all our routines at that point, guys who didn't play and staff, and that's where I ended up watching the quarterfinals, so I just stuck with that,” said the team captain.
Having Crosby on the ice may have helped Canada, but it also may not have made a difference, as Connor Hellebuyck was nearly unbeatable. Regardless of the outcome, Canada still has a silver medal they should be proud of.
