Sidney Crosby out for semifinal, “hopeful” for gold medal game

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MILAN, ITALY - FEBRUARY 18: Sidney Crosby #87 of Team Canada warm sup prior to the Men's Quarterfinals Playoff match between Canada and Czechia on day 12 of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Rho Ice Hockey Arena on February 18, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Sidney Crosby is officially out for Canada’s semifinal matchup against Finland today.

Sidney Crosby will not play in the semifinals. Connor McDavid will wear the ‘C’ today, with Cale Makar and Nathan MacKinnon serving as alternates.

Sidney Crosby ne jouera pas en demi-finale. Connor McDavid portera le « C » aujourd’hui, Cale Makar et Nathan MacKinnon, le « A ». pic.twitter.com/Vk9J07BQzg

— Hockey Canada (@HockeyCanada) February 20, 2026

Crosby reportedly tested out his leg in a closed practice this morning in Italy, but was unable to play on it. Despite that, most reports share some level of optimism that Crosby is hopeful to come back for Sunday’s gold medal game if Canada advances to it.

Sidney Crosby out vs Finland. He is still hopeful to play in the gold medal game should Canada advance, but it's unclear as of now if he'll be able to.

Connor McDavid will wear the "C" for Canada in the semifinal. https://t.co/FvRz1bppPb

— Emily Kaplan (@emilymkaplan) February 20, 2026

I continue to hear that Crosby avoided worst case scenario. What a story it would be if he played on Sunday in the gold medal game. And what torture it would be for him if Canada were to get upset today without him. https://t.co/j21eboj2Xz

— Josh Yohe (@JoshYohe_PGH) February 20, 2026

On Crosby: heard Team Canada and everyone around him did everything humanly possible for him to play — including searching for/putting together a custom brace.

Unfortunately, he can't go in the semifinal. https://t.co/E1IgWAKdrK

— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) February 20, 2026

Beyond the tweet there hasn’t been much concrete information about Crosby’s status coming from coach Jon Cooper, besides stating the hope that Crosby has not played his last hockey in this event.

Connor McDavid will serve as Team Canada’s captain today (IIHF rules necessitate a player in the lineup being the captain) in Crosby’s absence.

Crosby was hurt on a shift where he took multiple checks from Czech players, including one where his legs buckled from a hit by Radko Gudas.

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