Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby exited Team Canada’s crucial men’s hockey quarterfinal against Czechia with a lower-body injury, raising concerns for the tournament favorite at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics. The incident occurred during a tense second-period sequence on February 18 at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena in Milan, Italy.
Sidney Crosby hit hard by Radko Gudas, leaves game early
The injury happened around five minutes into the second period when Czech defenseman Radko Gudas delivered a heavy check on Crosby near the red line. Crosby’s legs appeared to buckle as he braced for impact, and he favored his right leg while getting up. Moments later, Gudas and forward Martin Necas sandwiched Crosby against the boards in another physical play.
Crosby slowly returned to the bench, visibly in discomfort. He received attention from trainers but soon limped to the locker room. Hockey Canada confirmed he would not return for the rest of the game. At the time of his departure, Canada trailed 2–1.
Crosby, 38, is in his second stint as Team Canada captain. He previously led the nation to gold at the 2014 Sochi Olympics. In this tournament, he had tallied six points (two goals, four assists) across four games before the injury.
Canada rally despite missing star captain
Even without their leader, Team Canada showed resilience. Nathan MacKinnon, the Colorado Avalanche assistant captain, scored a power-play goal to tie the game at 2–2. The Canadians fought back from deficits throughout, eventually forcing overtime after a late tying goal.
In a thrilling finish, Mitch Marner scored the overtime winner, securing a 4–3 victory for Canada and advancing them to the semifinals. The win kept Canada’s gold-medal hopes alive despite the setback.
