Sidney Crosby, the future Hall of Famer and hero of Canada's Olympic hockey gold medal triumph in 2010, suffered a lower-body injury during the second period of Wednesday's quarterfinal against the Czechs. Crosby was forced to leave the game, with Team Canada confirming his absence. The injury occurred when veteran Czech defenseman Radko Gudas delivered a check on Crosby between the benches, causing Crosby's legs to split and Gudas to topple over him. Crosby's right leg bent awkwardly, and he struggled to skate into the offensive zone after the collision. He was checked again by Gudas and Martin Nečas, and then he took one stride before immediately showing signs of injury. He slowly made his way to the bench, sat for a few minutes, and then headed to the locker room with a trainer. Crosby, 38, has been a standout performer for the Pittsburgh Penguins, contributing two goals and four assists in four Olympic games. He has a strong Olympic record, with seven goals and nine assists in 17 career games. Canada was trailing 2-1 at the time of Crosby's departure. Crosby also led Canada to a gold medal in Sochi in 2014. This story will be updated as more information becomes available. Michael Russo, a senior writer for The Athletic, covered the Minnesota Wild and the National Hockey League, and has a strong connection to the NHL, having covered it since 1995. He has won the Minnesota Sportswriter of the Year award five times and was named the inaugural Red Fisher Award winner for best beat writer in the NHL in 2017. He can be found on various platforms, including Instagram and Twitter, under the handle @russohockey.
