Team Canada captain Sidney Crosby said he decided against playing in the gold medal game due to his injury. But he added if he could play, then he would've been out there.
MILAN, Italy - Sidney Crosby was dressed in full equipment as he spoke to reporters following Canada's 2-1 overtime loss to the U.S. in the Olympic final.
But unlike the rest of his teammates, he hadn't broken a sweat. The reason being, of course, was that Crosby had not played a single second in the gold medal game loss. Until the game had ended, he hadn't even been on the ice.
In hindsight, maybe he should have.
"It's the gold medal game at the Olympics," he said. "If I could play, then I'd be out there."
Injured in Canada's 4-3 overtime quarterfinal win against Czechia after receiving a hit from Radko Gudkas, Crosby missed Canada's semifinal win against Finland with a lower-body injury and had been a game-time decision heading into the tournament final.
After skating for the past two days, there was hope that the 38-year-old captain just might be able to play against the U.S. — even if he was far from 100 percent healthy.
But Crosby, who had the final say in whether or not he would play, said he decided against it.
You can call Crosby unselfish and say that his decision to put the good of the team over his personal interests is exactly what makes him such a great captain. But on this day, Canada could have used a little selfishness from a player who even on one leg might have tipped the scales in a game that came down to the final shot.
"It's pretty clear given the situation whether you can either play or not play. I just didn't feel like I was able to," he said. "Even to get to the point where I had to make that decision, I didn't think I'd be in that position after the Czech game. I think the medical staff, everybody, was incredible. Unfortunately, I just wasn't able to go."
Instead, Crosby watched the game on a TV from the trainer's room and changed into his gear as the game went to overtime. In the back of his mind, he was probably hoping he made the right decision and that Canada would win without him and he'd be out there to celebrate with them. But when Jack Hughes scored the overtime-winner, you have to wonder if wasn't second-guessing his decision just a little bit as he went out onto the ice and consoled his teammates.
After all, this might have been the 38-year-old's last Olympics.
"It might have crossed my mind a little but, but ultimately it's about what's best for our group and what gives us the best chance to win," he said. "I think that becomes pretty clear at that point that if I'm not able to go, then I'm not going to compromise our team and put myself ahead of that. It might have crossed my mind, but ultimately that's not how I make my decision."
When asked how close he was to playing, Crosby said he didn't want to "put a number on it." But it sounds like it was pretty close.
"Even to get to the point where I had to make that decision, I didn't think I'd be in that position after the Czech game," said Crosby. "The medical staff, everybody, was incredible. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to go."
A day earlier, Team Canada coach Jon Cooper said he wouldn't dress Crosby as a 13th forward just for the sake of it. But at the same time, Sam Reinhart was Canada's 13th forward in the final, and he took just eight shifts and logged 6:57 in ice time.
You have to think that Crosby could have done that, even if he was used only on the power play. And you have to think Crosby would have made a bigger impact than Reinhart did, even if it was just for Crosby's leadership abilities.
If there was ever a game where Canada needed some guidance from a veteran who had been there and done it before, this was it. Aside from Drew Doughty, none of the players had played in an Olympics. None of them had been in this situation before.
Crosby, of course, had. And he had come out the other end a two-time champion.
In the 2010 Olympics, it was Crosby who had scored the "golden goal" in overtime against the U.S. And in 2014, it was Crosby who captained Canada to another gold medal. With this one going to overtime and the Canadians squeezing their sticks, unable to beat goalie Connor Hellebuyck — or, in some cases, unable to shoot the puck into a wide-open net — you have to believe that having Crosby there, even if it was just for emotional support, would have been beneficial.
"I feel for the entire group and obviously the entire situation," said Crosby, who praised interim captain Connor McDavid's tournament. "He did everything. He did everything humanly possible to lead us. To come into a tournament like this, with the best players in the world, and to be able to elevate at the level he was at was unheard of. That's something that's amazing to see up close.
"You feel for him, just because he did so much and led in every possible way. We all want to win for each other, but especially for him. It's tough that we weren't able to get the result that we wanted."
When asked if this might have been Crosby's last Olympics, Crosby sounded like the thought of playing in 2030 in Paris had not yet crossed his mind.
"I don't know, I haven't thought that," said, who will be 42 years old by then. "It's still pretty fresh. It's tough to answer that."
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