Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby faces a “devastating” setback as he begins a minimum four-week recovery for a lower-body injury.

The injury occurred during the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics while Crosby was leading Team Canada.

The 38-year-old superstar was hurt during a quarterfinal win against Czechia after taking a heavy hit. Despite trying to push through the pain for a shot at gold, Crosby was forced to watch from the sidelines as Canada fell 2-1 to the United States in the final.

Back in Pittsburgh, an emotional Crosby addressed the media, admitting the decision to sit out the gold medal game was agonising. He revealed he was “a lot closer than I thought” to playing but ultimately had to listen to his body.

“I didn’t think it was necessarily going to be an option,” Crosby said of the final. “So, the fact that I even had a chance or was close to it, the staff there was unbelievable. But unfortunately, it wasn’t something I could do.”

With the Penguins in a tight playoff race, Crosby is leaning on his teammates to fill the void. He expressed total faith in the roster, stating:

“I’m confident. I think we’ve shown all year, we’ve had injuries and guys have stepped up. It’s because collectively, as a group we’ve found different ways to win.”