On Sunday, Sidney Crosby's Penguins' teammates reacted to the captain's inability to appear for Team Canada in their gold medal game against Team USA, which the Americans won, 2-1, in overtime to capture their first Olympic gold medal since 1980.
On Sunday - after 46 years - Team USA finally got their version of The Golden Goal when Jack Hughes scored in overtime to beat Canada, 2-1, in the gold medal game of the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milan.
While it was a special moment for Team USA and all of the United States, it was undoubtedly a hard one for Pittsburgh Penguins' captain Sidney Crosby, who - as Canada's captain - sat out the game due to a lower-body injury he sustained earlier in the tournament. Crosby said he did not want to jeopardize the team if he felt he wasn't good enough to go and actually make an impact for his team.
So, he selflessly allowed his spot to be taken by a healthy forward, and he, unfortunately, was forced to endure the emotions of getting a silver medal draped around his neck in the aftermath of USA's golden moment.
And, yes, there are several American-born players in Pittsburgh who are lucky enough to call Crosby their NHL teammate. Even if they were thrilled about Team USA's long-awaited victory, it wasn't lost on them how hard it had to have been for their captain to watch from the sidelines while his team fell just short of Olympic gold.
"That's just a high-character player. I think every player in that situation, but especially, him, wanted to play in that game," Bryan Rust said. "But to know that he wasn't going to be able to help his team to the best of his ability or to the ability that was acceptable, I think shows a lot of self-awareness."
Defenseman Ryan Shea, also an American-born player, said it was even hard to watch Crosby at the medal ceremony.
"Seeing him during the ceremony... it was actually kind of tough to watch," Shea said. "It was getting a little emotional."
One of Sid's fellow Olympians felt for him, too.
"You feel so bad for him," said Rickard Rakell, who represented Team Sweden at the Olympics. "All you want is for him to get a chance to be on the ice and compete for the gold, and he deserves everything. So, it's a shame."
Head coach Dan Muse knows how much it meant to Crosby to represent Canada in these Games, as it's the first time in 12 years that NHL players have participated in the Olympics. The last time was 2014 in Sochi, Russia, when Crosby and Team Canada took home gold.
So, like the players, Muse was gutted that Crosby was robbed of the opportunity to play in what could possibly be his last Olympic appearance.
"To hear that news [Sunday] morning, I just really feel for him. It was crushing to hear that," Muse said. "There's not a more competitive person out there anywhere in any sport. So, to not be able to play... I know how much this means to him for him to represent his country. He did everything he possibly could, and he couldn't go.
"So, it's really unfortunate. Definitely feel for him. It was obviously tough to hear that news."
And even Crosby became painfully aware that this could, in fact, have been his final appearance at the Olympic Games. With 2030 four years away, Crosby will be 42, and it's uncertain whether or not he will still be lacing up the skates.
But, at the end of the day, he knows he made the right decision.
"It crossed my mind that this could be my last Olympics," Crosby told reporters in Milan. "But in the end, it came down to what was best for our team, what gave us the greatest chance of winning. At that moment, it was pretty clear. If I can't play at full strength, I won't put the team at risk or act line I'm above it."
He was proud of his team - led by Connor McDavid in his absence - for leaving everything they had on the ice.
"As a team, there's not much more we could have done."
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