Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon led an epic comeback for Team Canada in the 2026 Winter Olympics semifinal against Finland. After trailing 2-0 in the second period, the greatest upset in the tournament was a very real possibility.
However, Canada managed to regroup and, despite not having Sidney Crosby available, secured the victory with a goal by MacKinnon with only 35 seconds left on the clock. That sent them to the gold medal game.
This was Nathanās reaction during an interview with NBC. āIt wasnāt easy. I thought we played a good game, especially in the second period, we took over and didnāt let it go. It was a great effort by everybody. Iām happy the goal counted.ā
Nathan MacKinnon sends message to Sidney Crosby
Nathan MacKinnon acknowledged that they missed Sidney Crosby, although the Pittsburgh Penguins legend spent a lot of time talking with them during intermissions. He also praised Connor McDavidās outstanding work as captain against Finland.
āWeāve got 25 leaders. Weāre missing the leader of all though, and it sucks. You canāt replace Sidney Crosby as a person and as a player. Heās still around. Heās still our captain. Connor McDavid really stepped up today. He led the way for the rest of us. We have a lot of veteran players in there that have been in big moments. So, weāre confident.ā
Now, Team Canada will pursue the historic gold medal next Sunday. Various reports indicate that Crosby could have a chance to play despite his lower-body injury.
see also
Why is Connor Bedard not playing today for Team Canada vs Finland in 2026 Winter Olympics semifinal?
