Team Canada was dealt a blow. Sidney Crosby has been ruled out of the remainder of Canada’s Olympic quarterfinal against Czechia.
The injury occurred early in the second period of Wednesday’s Quarterfinal game. While Canada trailed 2-1, Crosby was caught in the crosshairs of veteran Czech defenseman Radko Gudas, who delivered two heavy hits on the same shift
The Pittsburgh Penguins captain tried to continue to play for a few seconds before limping off the ice. After being evaluated by the team’s training staff on the bench, he gingerly left and hobbled down the tunnel, favoring his leg.
Before the injury, Crosby was putting together a vintage Olympic performance. At 38 years old, he had already recorded two goals and four assists in the preliminary round, including a record-breaking 16th career Olympic point in the win over France. He was third on the team in scoring, trailing Connor McDavid and Macklin Celebrini, who have 11 and seven points, respectively. Crosby is currently tied for eighth in the tournament in scoring.
With the game tied, Coach Jon Cooper was forced to double-shift Connor McDavid and Macklin Celebrini to compensate for the loss of the team’s emotional anchor.