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Crosby Talks Injury, Playoffs, and What he Thought of ‘The Hit’
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- Crosby Talks Injury, Playoffs, and What he Thought of ‘The Hit’
Pittsburgh Penguins Sidney Crosby: Screen still Feb. 25, 2026
CRANBERRY, Twp., Pa. —There was no golden goal to show off this time. There was no hint of the silver medal, nor the ambiguous stuffed animal given to athletes during medal ceremonies. Instead, Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby strode into the Penguins dressing room at the UPMC Lemieux Complex on Wednesday, smiling as a thick crowd of reporters had already gathered around his stall, belying the bad news the team announced just an hour before.
Sidney Crosby will miss at least four weeks with a lower-body injury suffered during the Winter Olympics in Milan playing for Team Canada.
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"I mean, you don't replace him. I think it's, it's an opportunity for a lot of guys just to continue to do what guys have been doing all year. And when there is an opportunity, take advantage of it, and so I think it gets spread out across the entire group," coach Dan Muse said. "And so it's for everybody, just to be able to continue to raise their game and for us to continue to raise our collective game. This is the reality of sports."
Despite the preponderance of bad news that has been heaped upon Crosby in the past week, notably the injury and Team Canada's gold medal loss to Team USA , it was a surprisingly upbeat press availability. Crosby was in good spirits, even joking with reporters that he could share his injury if he wanted.
"I probably could … but probably won't," Crosby said with a laugh.
While the exact injury remains unknown and the subject of rumors, it should be noted that Crosby walked without a limp, did not have a walking boot, or any sort of knee brace. The closest Crosby came to divulging more information was when he admitted he's never had this specific injury before and referred to it as "these things."
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Perhaps part of the jovial atmosphere was the spectacle of the Olympics. It has been 12 years since NHL players were allowed to participate, and this was only the third time in Crosby's 21-year career that he was able to participate.
Make no mistake, Crosby tried hard to play in the gold medal game. There was no thought regarding the NHL season. There were no other thoughts than playing.
"Yeah, I was a lot closer than I thought. A day or two after (the injury), I didn't think it was necessarily going to be an option. So the fact that I even had a chance, or close to it, the staff there was unbelievable," said Crosby. "Dr. (Dharmesh Vyas) here was really helpful too … But unfortunately, it's just, you know, it wasn't, wasn't something I could do.
"I'll be honest with you, all I cared about was playing that game and focusing on that. You know, that's not any disrespect to our team, or what I feel about this season, or anything like that. We all put a lot of work in to try to be as successful as possible here. But given the opportunity to play in the Olympics and in that game, I think trying to play was all of my focus."
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Smiles aside, his absence will be a problem.
The Penguins are currently in second place in the Metro Division, but will now nurse a five-point lead for a playoff spot without their top center, their leader.
"I'm confident. I think we've shown all year–we've had injuries, and guys have stepped up to get us to where we're at. I think it's because of our team play," Crosby said. "I don't think it's been any one person. I think collectively as a group, we found different ways to win, and different guys have stepped up. So as long as we continue that and understand that, then I think we give ourselves a good chance, but it's going to be an important stretch here for the next little bit."
The Penguins have 19 games in 34 days beginning Thursday, and Crosby will most, if not all, of them. The poorly timed injury will obviously hamper the team's push for its first playoff berth since the 2021-22 season. And it will be the first time in several years that the team has had to go it alone, without their captain.
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Crosby has missed just two games over the last three seasons. Any records or statistical analysis of the team without Crosby would be meaningless. Afterall, the last time Crosby missed more than a couple of games, Evgeni Malkin was 35 and healthy enough to play center.
The Penguins center is one of several high-profile players to suffer a significant injury at the Olympics. The Dallas Stars will be without Mikko Rantanen for at least two weeks, the Winnipeg Jets will be without top defenseman Josh Morrissey for a time, and the LA Kings lost Kevin Fiala for the season.
There were more, too. However, Crosby saw no problem with the hits by Czech defenseman Radko Gudas that cost him a chance to play for the gold medal and nearly ended his NHL season.
"I don't have a problem with the play. I think he was trying to be physical and step up and play hard defense," Crosby said. "And it just went the wrong way, as far as my end of it." I don't think he should feel the need to reach out or anything like that.""
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Perhaps there was no better person to ask if the Olympics were indeed worth the risk. Crosby didn't hedge. It was the NHL Players Association that pushed for the season pause and international inclusion, and the revered Crosby's reaction could easily be summed up as well worth it.
"I mean, I'm not going to … It's the Olympics. It's an amazing experience, just as an athlete, not just a hockey player–I think if you want to look at it just from the hockey perspective, I think it's incredible," said Crosby. "You know, the product on the ice. I think the way that fans see the games, and just how competitive it is, and how it brings everyone together. I think it's pretty amazing."
The post Crosby Talks Injury, Playoffs, and What he Thought of 'The Hit' appeared first on Pittsburgh Hockey Now .
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