Radko Gudas (R) tackles Sidney Crosby during the men's playoff quarterfinal ice hockey match between Canada and Czechia. Crosby left the game after the hit.ALEXANDER NEMENOV/AFP/Getty Images
Sidney Crosby wasn’t on the ice for Team Canada’s practice in Milan on Thursday and his status for the semi-final against Finland is unclear, head coach Jon Cooper said.
“Sid is by no means ruled out of the tournament. We’ve got the best of the best looking at him,” Cooper said.
“We’re taking this day by day and we’re not going to put anybody in harm’s way. But if he can play, he’s definitely going to – we’ll know more in 24 hours.”
Crosby’s injury clouds Canada’s narrow win over Czechia
Canada faces Finland in a must-win semi-final on Friday at the Milan Cortina Olympics. Crosby was injured in the second period of Canada’s overtime win against Czechia in the quarter-finals Wednesday.
Czech defenceman Radko Gudas hit Crosby near the boards and landed on top of the Canadian captain. Crosby appeared to fall awkwardly with one of his legs buckling underneath him.
He could be seen wincing in pain on the bench and, a few seconds later, left for Canada’s dressing room and did not return.
Trailing 3-2 in the third period, Canada came back in dramatic fashion to win the game. Nick Suzuki tipped a Devon Toews point shot to tie the game late, and Mitch Marner put a backhand shot past Czech goaltender Lukas Dostal in overtime.
Canada’s practice Thursday was an optional skate and several players in addition to Crosby didn’t take the ice, including Brad Marchand, Cale Makar, Nathan MacKinnon and Toews.
Cooper said Crosby was receiving treatment and the situation was still being assessed.
“Everything’s going down as we speak,” Cooper said. “Kind of a late game yesterday, we have time.”
Asked if the team had decided who would serve as captain if Crosby couldn’t play, Cooper said it was too early for that conversation.
“We’ll have to see if he’s ruled out, then we can answer that one,” Cooper said.
Crosby reacts after sustaining an injury in the game against Czechia.Marton Monus/Reuters
Crosby, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and author of the golden goal that won the tournament on home ice in Vancouver in 2010, is the leader of this Canadian squad.
Connor McDavid, who sits atop tournament scoring with 11 points in four games, said Crosby will be difficult to replace if he can’t play against Finland, but his leadership around the team is still important.
“He’s Sidney Crosby. He’s going to have a big influence no matter what,” McDavid said. “In the lineup, not in the lineup, he’s going to have a big influence. That’s what he does.”
Canada will need other players to step up, Doughty says
Drew Doughty, the only Team Canada member along with Crosby to play the last time the NHL participated at an Olympics, in 2014, said the team must find leadership from the rest of the roster if Crosby can’t play.
“We don’t even know if he’s playing or not,” the veteran defenceman said. “But we’ve got tons of guys that can step up and fill the leadership void. Obviously, it’s almost impossible to fill the player void, but we’ll do our best.”
Doughty said the impact McDavid is having on the team in Milan has been remarkable.
“I can’t say enough good things about him. I’ve never played against a player like him in my entire career. Great guy off the ice, fun to hang around, and then when it’s game time, he’s dialed in and ready to go and he puts that jersey on, and he’s the best player on the ice every night,” Doughty said.
McDavid is being widely praised for playing the best hockey of his career in Milan, but Doughty is unsure.
“That’s tough. I mean, I’ve seen him play this well against me many times,” Doughty quipped.
“So I don’t know if he’s playing better or what, but it’s obviously on a bigger stage, so for him to be able to handle that pressure and play the way he’s playing is pretty special.”
Cooper said he’s noticed McDavid taking a bigger leadership role in Milan, even compared with last year’s 4 Nations Face-Off where he scored the tournament-winning goal in overtime against the United States.
“I’m seeing much more out of the group now, especially Connor,” Cooper said. “In this tournament he’s been fabulous.”
Canadians didn’t realize Czechs had too many men on ice
When Czechia took a 3-2 lead over Canada in the quarter-final, the television broadcast showed the Czechs had too many men on the ice.
But the refs weren’t the only ones who didn’t notice. The Canadian players said Thursday they were unaware of the controversy the night before.
“We didn’t know until after the game. Not a single player, coach knew until after the game,” Doughty said.
Canada survives quarter-final scare from Czechia with overtime win
For a while that goal looked like it might be the winner, before Suzuki tied the score at three. But Doughty said he doesn’t necessarily blame the refs.
“We were like, ‘How did that get missed?’ But I mean, we all missed it. So it makes sense that the refs could miss it too.”
McDavid agreed, saying he was in the dark about the infraction until after the game.
“I feel like everybody missed it. It was kind of a weird play,” McDavid said.
Cooper expects another tough game from Finland in semi-final
Looking ahead to Friday’s must-win semi-final against Finland, Cooper said he expects another close game, not unlike the Czechia matchup that went to overtime.
Canada beat Finland 5-3 at the 4 Nations Face-Off a year ago, in a game where Finland almost pulled off an improbable comeback.
Canada got out to a 4-0 lead after two periods before the Finns scored three times in the third period to make it 4-3. After Finland pulled their goalie late, Crosby put the game away with an empty-net goal.
“A dedicated group, they check, structured, world-class players,” Cooper said of Finland.
“I think we all saw that at 4 Nations. I don’t care where you are or what tournament it is, the Finns always seem to be standing when it comes to medal time. And if you remotely take that team lightly, they’re going to bite you.”
Cooper said he was pleased with how his bench handled the pressure of being down late in the game versus Czechia.
“They’ve been put in a whole bunch of crazy situations and dramatic situations, and they keep passing the test,” Cooper said.
“Nobody likes adversity. Everybody says they like adversity, it’s good for you, until you’re actually in it, and then all of a sudden you don’t really like adversity. But it’s how you find your way out of it, and these guys have found a way.”
Both Finland and Canada enter the semi-final after needing to win in overtime. Finland downed Switzerland 3-2 in extra time on a goal by Artturi Lehkonen of the Colorado Avalanche.
A day after Canada’s close call, McDavid said he was fortunate to still be playing.
“Your tournament kind of flashed before your eyes. It makes you grateful for another day here in this tournament, grateful for another game,” McDavid said.
He said Finland probably comes into the semi-final with the same perspective.
“They feel the same way, I’m sure,” McDavid said. “I know we feel energized by it. I’m sure they do too. It’ll be a great game.”
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