Sidney Crosby’s pursuit of a third consecutive Olympic gold medal ended not on the ice but on the bench, where he watched his teammates fall to the United States in a 2-1 overtime heartbreaker. He was forced to be a spectator due to an injury sustained during the quarterfinal match against Czechia. However, it looks like the Pittsburgh Penguins captain will have to endure this situation for much longer.

On X, Chris Johnston reported on Crosby’s condition, stating, “Sidney Crosby is expected to miss at least four weeks with a lower-body injury coming out of the Olympics, according to the #pens.”

The Pittsburgh Penguins subsequently confirmed the devastating news, placing their franchise cornerstone on injured reserve Wednesday morning and announcing that the 38-year-old captain would be sidelined for a minimum of one month. They announced this by also activating Kris Letang from the injured reserve.

The injury occurred late in the second period of Canada’s quarterfinal matchup against Czechia, when Crosby attempted to avoid a hit from defenseman Radko Gudas along the boards. However, the attempt failed as he fell awkwardly with Gudas landing on top of the Penguins star.

During that incident, the broadcast cameras clearly showed his leg bending unnaturally, and even though Canada went on to beat Czechia, Sidney Crosby wasn’t pleased with himself.

“I think everyone should be proud of the way the team performed. I thought that obviously we did everything but score. In every facet, we were just so good today. We deserved better, and unfortunately, we didn’t come away with the win … It was pretty close [to me playing.] Ultimately, I wasn’t able to go out there and do what I needed to do to help the team. So at that point, you have to make a decision that’s best for the group, and it was not an easy one, but that’s hockey. It’s hard, you just try to be around and be a positive influence,” he said.

However, talking about Gudas’ hit, the Pens captain said, “I didn’t have a problem with the play. He was trying to be physical and step up. Play hard as any defenseman would. It went the wrong way as far as my end of it. I don’t think he should feel the need to reach out or anything like that. It’s hockey, and that stuff happens. Unfortunately, it’s one of those things.”

And as Team Canada headed into the gold medal game, their coach had a stern mentality about the 38-year-old’s condition. No matter how important Crosby was, since he was 100% fit, Jon Cooper wanted no risks, as he said, “No. It’s too important. We don’t want to have somebody in there as an inspiration when we could have a player capable of helping. You never know if guys are going to get hurt. He wouldn’t want to do that either.”

However, with the Milan Olympics dream broken, his absence might be an alarming update for the Penguins.

Sidney Crosby’s team has to prepare for the worst

The Pittsburgh Penguins entered the Olympic break positioned second in the Metropolitan Division with an impressive 29-15-12 record, a performance that has defied expectations following their recent struggles.

Notably, this marks their first playoff contention since 2022, making it crucial for the team to maintain momentum and prevent their aspirations from faltering. Sidney Crosby has been the driving force behind this turnaround, commanding the team with 27 goals and 59 points across 56 games at age 38.

With only five games remaining before the March 6 trade deadline, general manager Kyle Dubas confronts the formidable challenge of sustaining the playoff push while managing without his captain.

The Metropolitan Division remains fiercely competitive, with the Penguins holding only a one-point lead over the New York Islanders and a precarious five-point buffer separating them from both the Washington Capitals and Columbus Blue Jackets.

The Pens will begin their post-Olympic NHL schedule on Thursday against the New Jersey Devils, and it will be a tough time for them, as they won’t find their captain among the squad for almost a month.