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Canadian captain Sidney Crosby could return for Sunday’s gold-medal Olympic men’s hockey showdown between Canada and the U.S.
Crosby skated in a closed on-ice session on Saturday morning. Head coach Jon Cooper told reporters after that there’s “a chance” Crosby will play on Sunday.
The captain missed the team’s 3-2 semifinal win over Finland after sustaining an injury in the quarterfinal game against Czechia. He left the ice, received treatment on the bench, and then went down the tunnel, walking gingerly.
Cooper said Crosby will be a game-time decision. Coverage of the Olympic men’s hockey final begins on CBC and CBC Gem at 7 a.m. ET, with puck drop set for 8:10 a.m.
WATCH | Cooper on Crosby’s status:
Canada coach Jon Cooper says Sidney Crosby is a ‘game-time decision’ after skating on Saturday
Canada’s men’s hockey coach Jon Cooper says Sidney Crosby skated on Saturday, and he will be a game-time decision for Sunday’s gold-medal game.
“We’re going to meet tonight and make a determination to see if he plays tomorrow,” Cooper said.
Defenceman Josh Morrissey, who was hurt in the tournament’s opening game, won’t play in the final, the coach added.
He pointed to the selflessness of Morrissey and Crosby, as well as Anthony Cirelli and Brayden Point, to step aside when they were injured and felt a healthy player could contribute more. Cirelli and Point were named to the initial Olympic team, but had to be replaced before the tournament began.
“These guys want to play,” Cooper said. “There’s a reason we’re playing in the Olympics — it’s because the players wanted this. The preparation and everything that these players have given of themselves to be here to play in this, it’s nothing like I’ve ever seen. So when a situation like this arises, it’s amazing the selflessness of the player.”
Both Crosby and defenceman Drew Doughty are looking to earn a third Olympic gold medal, after winning the top prize in both 2010 and 2014.
Crosby scored the game-winning goal in overtime against the Americans in 2010.
The matchup North America wanted
The Canadians’ path to the gold-medal final hasn’t been a linear one.
After cruising through the preliminary-round as the top seed, it took overtime to defeat Czechia in the quarterfinals, 4-3.
Then, the Canadians had to score three unanswered goals to dig out of a 2-0 deficit against Finland on Friday. Nathan MacKinnon scored in the final minute of the game to win 3-2.
“The message for the guys is adversity is going to hit again,” Cooper said. “Are you going to stare it in the face and punch back? That’s been the message this whole tournament and it’s not going to change now.”
WATCH | MacKinnon plays hero in semifinal win over Finland:
Canada’s Nathan MacKinnon says ‘we stuck with it and outplayed them’ following victory over Finland
Nathan MacKinnon’s goal with 36 seconds left in the game gave Canada a 3-2 victory over Finland, allowing them to reach the Olympic men’s hockey gold medal game.
Meanwhile, the U.S. also came close to elimination in the quarterfinals, just edging Sweden in overtime.
The Americans won a spot in the Olympic final with a decisive 6-2 win over Slovakia on Friday.
Canada against the U.S. is the gold-medal game everyone in North America wanted. But it wasn’t a sure thing.
“This game wasn’t always inevitable, but now that it’s here, it’s exciting,” Connor McDavid said.
McDavid wore the captain’s “C” in Crosby’s absence on Friday.
Facing the Tkachuks
From the first puck drop at the 4 Nations Face-Off, the matchup between Canada and the U.S. was physical. With international rules, there likely won’t be a brawl in the Olympic final.
But it will still be bitter.
“It’s going to be hard, it’s going to be physical, it’s going to be fast and skilled and everything people love about hockey,” Canadian forward Tom Wilson said. “A lot of hype — we’ve got to go out there and get the job done.”
Wilson is the largest player on the Canadian roster. He wasn’t on last year’s 4 Nations team, and was bought to the Olympics not just for his skill and size, but also his intimidation factor.
U.S. forward Brady Tkachuk (7) will certainly try to get under the Canadians’ skin in the gold-medal game. (Carolyn Kaster/The Associated Press)
He’ll be useful against an American team that includes Brady and Matthew Tkachuk, a duo that always aims to get under opponents’ skin.
Both Tkachuks are tied for fourth in the tournament in penalty minutes, serving 12 minutes each.
“We know that they’ll be there,” Wilson said. “I’m not really that focused on them. I’m focused on if I play the Team Canada way, if I play my game, if I play fast and physical, it’s not going to really matter what they’re doing.”
After his team’s practice on Saturday morning, Brady Tkachuk told CBC Olympics reporter Kyle Bukauskas that the final should be an emotional game.
“It’s just about keeping it in check and channeling it in the right ways,” he said. “I think for us, we’re just going to out there and play the way that we need to play. I know every individual is going to be at their best and give our team a chance to win.”
The 4 Nations Face-Off, which was played last year in both Canada and the U.S., was about much more than hockey. It was about national pride for Canadians, amid political tension and calls by U.S. President Donald Trump for Canada to become part of the U.S.
This tournament will culminate with a cross-border battle as well, but it feels “completely different,” Cooper said.
“That tournament was more than a hockey tournament, and partially [it was] because of where it was played in both Canada and the U.S., and the political dynamics that were surrounding that,” the coach said.
WATCH | Cole Harbour erupts in cheers as MacKinnon scores game-winning goal:
Cole Harbour erupts in cheers as Nathan MacKinnon scores winning goal
Fans of the Colorado Avalanche star gathered at Big League’s Brew Pub to watch Canada defeat Finland 3-2 in the Olympic men’s hockey semifinal. MacKinnon, a Cole Harbour native, scored the winning goal with 35.2 seconds left in the game. The CBC’s Haley Ryan was there.
“This is about the entire world. We’re on the world stage. There’s athletes, media from all over the world that, quite frankly, don’t really probably care as much about our countries as we do because they have their own. That’s the beauty of this event because you’re just introducing yourself to the world.”
A bitter history
Canada and the U.S. have met in the men’s Olympic hockey final twice in tournaments where NHL players participated. Canada won both of those matchups, in 2002 and 2010.
Overall, when you include all men’s hockey tournaments at the Olympics, Canada has won nine gold medals. The U.S. have won two.
Of course, one of those American gold medals came in Lake Placid in 1980, when the underdog “Miracle on Ice” team upset the Soviet Union.
Sunday marks the 46th anniversary of that win, a fact that wasn’t lost on current U.S. forward Brock Nelson. His uncle, Dave Christian, was on the 1980 team.
“Those guys kind of paved the way and set up another generation to strive to be them,” Nelson told Bukauskas.
Nineteen-year-old Macklin Celebrini (17) played more than any other Canadian player in Friday’s semifinal win over Finland. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press)
Nineteen-year-old Macklin Celebrini wasn’t alive for Canada’s win against the Americans in 2002. He was a toddler when the men defeated the U.S. again in 2010 in his hometown of Vancouver.
But that hasn’t stopped Cooper from relying on the teenager when things have gotten tense in this tournament, especially since Crosby went down
Celebrini took Crosby’s spot on the top power play unit, and Cooper relied on a stacked top line of Celebrini, McDavid and MacKinnon for most offensive-zone draws against Finland.
Celebrini played 25:53 in the Finland game, more than any other player on the team. He trails McDavid for the tournament lead in scoring, with 10 points in five games.
“He’s such an impressive kid,” McDavid said. “He’s handled everything so well. Nineteen years old, so young and playing so well, I can’t say enough good things about him. He’s been amazing.”
