Team Canada and NHL insiders reported positive news about Sidney Crosby’s potential return to the Olympics, especially Sunday’s final gold medal game. Canada’s captain suffered a lower-body injury during the quarter-final win over the Czech Republic earlier this week and was ruled out of Friday’s semi-final win against Finland. Crosby skated behind closed doors on Saturday and was said to have a 70% chance of playing.
Head coach Jon Cooper gave an encouraging but cautious update after watching the skate, saying he has not yet spoken to Crosby but plans to meet tonight. The plan is to assess his response and identify any limitations. It will be those limitations that will likely determine whether he can go.
A final decision on whether he will play in Sunday’s gold medal match (against the USA) will come from that evaluation, but cannot be made until game time.
Cooper noted that Crosby “won’t put himself in harm’s way” or endanger the team, and emphasized that no one will dress him just for inspiration if he’s not close to 100%. Cooper said Friday that Crosby had a “much better chance” of suiting up for the gold medal match than he did for the semifinals.
Other injury news
Defender Josh Morrissey has been definitively eliminated from the final. He hasn’t played since the first match of the qualifiers. Tage Thompson was on the ice for Team USA Skate after leaving Friday’s game as a precaution.
There are huge stakes in this gold medal match between the US and Canada. The action starts at 8:10 am. Puck drop is on Sunday.
Next: 3 keys for Team Canada to beat USA in gold medal game
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