Sidney Crosby: a decision that speaks volumes about his selflessness

Unfortunately, we learned this morning that Sidney Crosby will not be wearinguniform for Canada's gold medal game against the United States. This is bad news that has hurt Canadian fans, given that yesterday we were all pretty optimistic that the captain would be able to play.
It was a very difficult decision, but in the end, Crosby had the final say. And that final say is yet another huge testament to Sidney Crosby's selflessness, as the Canadian team captain decided for himself that he would not be a big enough factor to participate in this game.
Crosby felt it was better to give his spot to another 13th forward who would contribute more to the team. It was truly a remarkable gesture by a captain and great leader to step aside to help his team perform better.

Some context:
“Tried everything” to allow him to play
There was optimism yesterday
Ultimately, he felt he couldn't be enough of a factor — Canada needed all 13 forwards and Crosby didn't want to go if he couldn't be effective enough for the team to win. Total bummer https://t.co/B6cRwSvCfP

— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) February 22, 2026

Crosby and the entire Canadian team tried everything to get him to play this morning against the United States, but in the end, the captain had the final say, deciding not to push himself to play while injured.

The hockey world has long known what Sidney Crosby is all about, but you won't find a better example of his selflessness than his decision to sit out today's Olympic gold-medal final rather than forcing it while injured.

Crosby put his teammates, team, and country first.

— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) February 22, 2026

This is yet another example of Sidney Crosby's incredible leadership, and especially his impact on the entire Canadian team.

Crosby was in much better shape than Marie-Philip Poulin, who had no choice but to return to the game considering that even injured, she was her country's best option.

Nothing but respect for Crosby deciding he wasn't going to be able to be as effective as he normally is and letting another forward play. He was in a much better spot than Marie-Philip Poulin, who knew full well that even on one leg, she was better than other options. #GoCanadaGo

— Karine Hains (@KarineHains) February 22, 2026

In short, let's see if this will lead to a gold medal.

In Brief

– That must have been a very difficult decision.

Team Canada GM Doug Armstrong on Sidney Crosby missing the Olympic gold medal final :

“At the end of the day, he felt it was best for the team to give that opportunity to somebody else. It was a very gut-wrenching decision for him, but it shows the character that he has for… pic.twitter.com/9oB8Adywrr

— /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) February 22, 2026

— Indeed.

How did Matthew Tkachuk manage to stay centered the last 24 hours?

Tkachuk: “We're all going to be 50 years old one day, not playing in the NHL anymore [after] thousands of games hopefully, and you're going to remember start to finish a handful of games. This is probably one of them.”

— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) February 22, 2026

— The kid never stops!

Celebrini wanted a few last shots in-tight at the end of warm-up pic.twitter.com/XGWg4U5HeU

— Mark Masters (@markhmasters) February 22, 2026