Team Canada completes secretive move involving Sidney Crosby that raises eyebrows regarding his injury
Photo credit: Mike Segar/Reuters via Imagn Images
Sidney Crosby’s injury plus Team Canada’s closed practice decision is turning the Olympics into a guessing game.
Canada booked another closed skate for Saturday, even after suggesting they would not keep doing it. That makes it three closed sessions in this tournament.
On its own, a closed practice is allowed at the Olympic Games. But the timing, right as Crosby’s status hangs, is the part that feels calculated.
Crosby left Wednesday’s quarterfinal against Czechia with a lower-body injury, and Canada has kept the daily details tight ever since.
By Friday morning, Ryan Rishaug reported Crosby did skate in a closed session before the semifinal, then the captain was ruled out.
Here’s the post that kicked the latest round of eyebrows up a notch.
When the captain is the storyline, shutting the doors changes the whole vibe. It stops everyone from seeing who is actually taking reps on the top power-play unit.
It also protects Canada’s opponents from getting a clean read on line combinations. That matters when your bench boss is squeezing every edge he can find.
Sidney Crosby and Team Canada keep everyone guessing
And yeah, Canadian fans can feel the tension, because we have seen “day-to-day” turn into “not coming back” way too often.
Head coach Jon Cooper has not ruled Crosby out, but the language stays cautious and controlled.
Cooper even suggested Canada had 48 hours to sort out availability for the next one, which says everything about how fluid this is.
The hockey part is simple. If Crosby can’t push, Canada loses its smartest bumper support and its calmest puck-touch under pressure.
Through parts of four Olympic games, Crosby has 2-4-6, and his Olympic career sits at 7-9-16 in 17 games. That is not production you just replace.
So the closed practices read like a shield. Not just for privacy, but for competitive leverage, right up to the next drop of the puck.
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| POLL | ||
FEVRIER 21|182 ANSWERS Team Canada completes secretive move involving Sidney Crosby that raises eyebrows regarding his injury Should Team Canada keep Sidney Crosby’s injury status this secretive? | ||
| Yes | 133 | 73.1 % |
| No | 49 | 26.9 % |
| List of polls | ||