Even without Sidney Crosby for a large portion of the game, Mitch Marner and Team Canada found a way. Defeating Czechia 4-3 in overtime, the Maple Leaf advanced to the semifinals of the 2026 Winter Olympics. After the game, Marner revealed what Crosby’s message to the squad was.
“Marner said Crosby addressed the group after the second and gave them a lot of confidence heading to the third,” as reported by TSN’s Ryan Rishaug.
Needless to say, Crosby’s leadership helped rally the group. After watching such a crucial player go down, teams are faced with two options: sink or swim. Team Canada chose the latter, and managed to escape with the win and the ticket to the semifinals of the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Now, Team Canada awaits news on Sidney Crosby’s injury update, while gearing up for the home stretch of the tournament.
Mitch Marner at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Put on notice
Canada won, and that’s all that matters. However, the team did leave the rink bruised. For Czechia, they can hold their heads high, as they were just inches away from knocking the apex predator of the Olympics out of the race. Moreover, they set a precedent.
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Whoever plays Canada next, it now has a blueprint for how to hurt them and put them in trouble. For Canada, this episode should serve as a reminder: as many stars as the team can assemble, when national pride is on the line, anything can happen.
The win over Czechia has already become an instant classic in Winter Olympics history, but Canada is far from satisfied. It traveled to Italy in pursuit of gold, and it can already smell the medal, just two wins away. Still, those two will most likely be the hardest victories to secure for every player on the roster.
