Sidney Crosby's injury puts Canada on alert with Connor McDavid ready to take charge for the Olympic semifinal match

After Canada's big win at the quarterfinals against Czechia in the Olympic Games, the team is currently facing uncertainty as star captain Sidbey Crosby continues to be evaluated after leaving Wednesday's quarterfinal game with a lower-body injury.

During the quarterfinal match, Sidney Crosby was seen exiting midway after taking a heavy hit to his right leg. He did not return to that game and was absent from Canada’s optional practice the following day.

Despite this setback, Team Canada advanced to the men's ice hockey semifinal at the 2026 Winter Olympics after a thrilling 4-3 overtime victory over Czechia in a quarterfinal match at the Milano Santaguilia Ice Hockey Arena on Wednesday. As per reports, it was Mitch Marner's overtime winning goal at just 1:22 into overtime that led the Canadiens to book a spot at the semifinal.

As Crosby’s situation is uncertain, Connor McDavid has been suggested to take charge of the Olympic semifinal match, which is scheduled to take place on Friday, against Finland as an alternate captain.

Sidney Crosby not ruled out of Olympic semifinals, Connor McDavid suggested taking charge as captain for the semi-finals

In an unfortunate incident during the quarterfinal match, Sidney Crosby sustained a lower-body injury during the quarterfinal win over Czechia, but he remains in contention for the upcoming Olympic semifinals. As per reports, Crosby went into the locker room after sustaining an injury.

The player was injured five minutes into the second period after his right leg bent in an awkward direction after taking a hit from Czech defenceman Radko Gudas during the match. Earlier, Crosby set the record for points by a Canadian NHLer at the Olympics in Sunday’s 10-2 victory over France.


Meanwhile, speaking about Crosby’s injury status, Team Canada coach Jon Cooper told reporters on Thursday, "Sid is by no means ruled out of the tournament. We've got the best of the best looking at him. We're taking this day by day. And we're not going to put anyone in harm’s way. But if he can play, he's definitely going to. We'll know more again in 24 hours."

It is also speculated that if Crosby is unable to return to the lineup for Friday’s semifinal against Finland, captaincy responsibilities would likely shift to Connor McDavid, Canada’s alternate captain and the tournament’s leading scorer. Apart from this, McDavid also qualifies to be one of the potential players to take charge of the team in place of Crosby.

Besides, McDavid also assisted on Canada's first two goals in a 4-3 overtime win against Czechia. It was his first game of the tournament in which he had fewer than three points in a game. Further, Canada is now gearing up for their next match against Finland in the semifinal round, with a medal game, either gold or bronze, depending on the outcome.


Get the latest ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 updates, including the full schedule, teams, live scores, points table, and key series stats such as top run-scorers and wicket-takers.