Sidney Crosby is vital to Team Canada. He’s their captain, and his golden goal that came twelve years before at the Vancouver Winter Games still holds up. However, against Czechia in the quarter-final, the Penguins forward was hurt when his leg got bent in an unnatural direction after taking a hit from defenseman Radko Gudas. And with him missing the semifinals against Finland, his teammate Connor McDavid had a few words on Crosby’s absence.

“We missed him obviously, he is our captain, and our leader. Missed him a lot,” said the Edmonton Oilers star, talking to EssentiallySports representative Shreya Verma post-game.

McDavid, who was later named temporary captain for the semi-final, had earlier elaborated on Crosby’s enduring influence even from the sidelines. “He’s Sidney Crosby. He’s going to have a big influence, no matter what. In the lineup, not in the lineup. That’s what he does,” the Oilers captain said before Canada’s game against Finland.

Well, the semifinal game properly tested a Canadian squad without Sidney Crosby. The first 35 minutes of the match (an entire first period and almost half of the second period) saw zero goals from a Connor McDavid-led Team Canada, while Finland already had a two-goal lead.

Soumi’s first came from Mikko Rantanen, who scored in the power play during the final five minutes of the first period. And the second goal came at 3:26 of the second period, when Erik Haula found Canada’s net with a shorthanded goal. However, the defending Olympic champions didn’t fumble under pressure.

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With 5:40 remaining in the second period, Sam Reinhart found the net after an assist from Cale Makar and McDavid. For the Oilers captain, it was his 12th point of the tournament, breaking the record for most points in a single Olympics with NHL participation. Then came the third period, which saw an absolutely dominant performance from the Canadian squad.

Shea Theodore came with an equalizer, and in the final moments of the game, Nathan MacKinnon scored during a power play. McDavid’s leadership in the semifinal sparkled, yet the fans miss the Penguins star.

Just like Connor McDavid, the Canadians are also missing Sidney Crosby

In a few hours, Team Canada’s opponent for the gold medal game at the Milan Olympics will be decided. However, watching a squad without Sidney Crosby in it left the fans with little more than hope for the best.

“Sidney Crosby is going to play the gold medal game and score an important goal, isn’t he?” a fan wrote, imagining a positive outcome in their head. This fan, however, had a confession, stating, “I don’t care if he can play or not, Sidney Crosby deserves to be in uniform on Canada’s bench for the gold medal game.” And this comment read, “I miss Sidney Crosby.”

Well, there might be some hope for the fans. Reporter Ben Steiner mentioned that Jon Cooper gave a few details on Crosby’s condition, stating, “We’ve got 40 hours…he’s got a better chance of playing in that gold medal game than he had planned in tonight’s game.” And the Canadians exactly want that.

“Prayer circle for Sidney Crosby to make a miraculous recovery for Sunday’s final PLEASE,” this fan wrote. When the game against Finland was slipping away, this fan shared their feelings, stating, “Sidney Crosby get up im stressed out.”

So, only time will tell if the Penguins star can make it up in time for the gold medal game. What are your thoughts on this? Share it in the comments below.