Sidney Crosby day by day: Jon Cooper refuses to name another captain

Charles-Alexis Brisebois
Sidney Crosby day by day: Jon Cooper refuses to name another captain
Credit: Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

Yesterday, Canada had a close call. Without Nick Suzuki (who was in his element as center) and Mitch Marner, Canada's men's hockey team might already be home by now. Without them, it would have been a disaster for the country. And rightly so.

Fortunately for Jon Cooper's men, some guys stepped up and made sure the tournament could continue as planned. Depth made the difference.

Obviously, without Sidney Crosby, Canada had to dig deep into its reserves. It worked yesterday, but the question is whether it will work tomorrow and over the weekend. After all, besides Sidney Crosby, other players are also injured. This is particularly the case for Nathan MacKinnon, who was also absent from today's optional practice.

Brad Marchand, Cale Makar, Nathan MacKinnon, and Sidney Crosby, who each had their reasons for not practicing today, were not at practice. But you'll understand that the case that got people talking was that of #87. And that's normal.

After practice, Jon Cooper said his captain was being evaluated on a day-to-day basis. He wouldn't confirm that he would be able to play tomorrow or confirm that he would be out for the rest of the tournament. I didn't expect anything else.

It's also important to note that, for all international games of this kind, a captain must be on the ice. If Crosby can't play, who will wear the “C” in his place?

Once again, Cooper declined to answer. Since he doesn't know if Crosby will be out, he doesn't want to say who his choice would be to replace him as captain for the semifinal game.
If Crosby doesn't play Friday, Team Canada has to put a ‘C' on another player. Cooper wouldn't go there with us, because he's not ready to rule Crosby out yet.

— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) February 19, 2026

So yes, Canada has issued an update on the legendary player, but we can't say we've learned anything new. We know that we know nothing, basically.

This comes as no surprise: if his tournament is over, why shout it from the rooftops? And if it's not necessarily over, not revealing all your cards is a good idea too.


Overtime

Today is the women's hockey finals. At 1:10 p.m., the Canadians and Americans will battle it out for the Olympic gold medal.

It won't be easy for the Canadians… who can inspire their male counterparts. After all, they have proven that even without their captain for part of the tournament, reaching the final is still possible.

And tomorrow, we'll be treated to the men's semifinal games. Canada and Finland will face off at 10:40 a.m., while the United States and Slovakia will play at 3:10 p.m.

It's going to be some great hockey.

At least two Montreal Canadiens players (Nick Suzuki, Oliver Kapanen, and/or Juraj Slafkovsky) will win an Olympic medal. And if the stars align, three guys will get one.

But that's not the most likely scenario, as I'd be surprised if the Americans finished anywhere other than on the podium.

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