Playing in the men’s semifinal match in Milano Cortina, Canada took one step closer to clinching the gold medal. Squaring off against Finland, the Canadians put on a stellar show to win 3-2. Unfortunately, despite the triumph, the team would be concerned about the unavailability of their star center, Sidney Crosby. And ahead of the gold medal match, EssentiallySports spoke exclusively with his coach.

In an exclusive interview with Team Canada head coach Jon Cooper, Essentially Sports’ journalist, Shreya Verma, asked him about the latest updates. 

“We have 48 hours to decide that, but I will tell you, he’s got a better chance of playing in that gold medal game than he had playing in tonight’s game,” said Cooper. 

Cooper’s update that Crosby has a strong chance of returning for the final is sure to lift the spirits of Canadian fans. However, Hockey Canada has remained silent on the situation, offering no details about the nature or extent of Crosby’s injury.

As per the latest reports, Crosby failed to take part in Canada’s optional practice this Thursday. However, in what looked like a light at the end of the tunnel, the star ice hockey center reportedly skated during a closed-door session on Friday. 

News served to you like never before!

Prefer us on Google, To get latest news on feed

Prefer Us on Google

Speaking about his injury, the 2-time Olympic gold medalist suffered the injury while playing against Czechia in the quarterfinal. During the second half of the action, Crosby was hit along the boards by Radko Gudas and Martin Nečas. Having taken two more significant hits prior to this (Gudas and Ondřej Palát), the third time was too much for the Canadian captain to take. 

Crosby could be spotted shaking his right leg in discomfort as he exited the ice for medical treatment. Sadly, despite the initial aid, the 38-year-old failed to return to the game as he limped off the ice to the locker room.

Thankfully, squaring off against Finland, Canada managed to hold their nerves in the absence of Crosby. 

How did Team Canada fare against Finland in Sidney Crosby’s absence?

Right after facing a setback because of the injury in his right leg, the coach shared how the team has aimed to take the matter “day-by-day”. However, he has not been ruled out completely. 

Coach Cooper stated, “We have the best of the best looking at him.” 

Although he had not been appearing for the recent matches and the coach hinted at how the team is saving him up for the D day, he has not yet passed on his captaincy tag to any of his teammates. Olympic rule demands a new captain to be named in case a player has been ruled out, the team has made one thing clear: that Crosby is still very much in the team. 

The coach further added, “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 again in 24 hours.”

Now, as Crosby did not step in the rink, Canada faced Finland in the semis. Playing without their captain, the Canadian boys were losing to Finland 2-0 in the beginning segment of the showdown. However, they soon managed to pull up their socks and made a comeback and scored three goals to win the game 3–2. 

Nathan MacKinnon sealed Canada’s victory with the winning goal just 36 seconds before the final buzzer. Finland appealed for an offside call, but the decision stood, sending Canada through to the Olympic final. They now shift their focus to the gold medal matchup, where they look to climb the podium’s highest step and secure Olympic glory. Will they make it? Share your thoughts on this in the comments below.