Sidney Crosby has already begun his rehabilitation with the Penguins after the injury he suffered at the 2026 Winter Olympics. The legend was unable to help teammates such as Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, Mitch Marner, and Brad Marchand in the gold medal game.
After that overtime loss against Team USA, rumors have intensified about what appears to be an inevitable retirement for Crosby from international competition. The star is 38 years old, so a changing of the guard seems imminent.
For that reason, many fans and experts are wondering why Sidney Crosby did not play a few minutes if, as the veteran himself has said, he was very close to having an opportunity to take the ice. Despite that, the captain put Canada’s best interest above his own intentions, as he believed he could not contribute the way he should.
Sidney Crosby and retirement decision after the Olympics
With retirement from international competitions knocking on the door, Sidney Crosby was asked whether the thought of no longer playing for Canada has crossed his mind and if this Olympic tournament in Italy could have been the last of his career.
“Yeah, I try not to think that far ahead. My mind was just on trying to play. You can’t let that creep into your head. I think, you know, when you’re trying to overcome something that’s challenging, I think the worst thing you can do is think about worst case scenarios. So, I was just trying to be positive and tried to focus on playing and find a way to overcome that. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen. It’s still a long ways away, but that wasn’t really something I tried to think about too much.”
It seems highly unlikely that Crosby will be able to play in the 2030 Olympics, so it appears that the torch would be passed to Connor McDavid as captain to lead a new generation of stars.
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Sidney Crosby sends clear message about Radko Gudas after Pittsburgh Penguins confirm Team Canada legend is out with injury after 2026 Winter Olympics
