Sidney Crosby’s pursuit of a third consecutive Olympic gold medal ended not on the ice but on the bench, where he watched his teammates fall to the United States in a 2-1 overtime heartbreaker. He was forced to be a spectator because of an injury he sustained during the quarterfinal match against Czechia. However, it looks like the Pittsburgh Penguins captain has to endure this situation for a lot longer.

On X, Chris Johnston reported on Crosby’s condition, stating, “Sidney Crosby is expected to miss at least four weeks with a lower-body injury coming out of the Olympics, according to the #pens.”

The Pittsburgh Penguins subsequently confirmed the devastating news, placing their franchise cornerstone on injured reserve Wednesday morning and announcing that the 38-year-old captain would be sidelined for a minimum of one month. They announced this by also activating Kris Letang from the injured reserve.

The injury occurred late in the second period of Canada’s quarterfinal matchup against Czechia, when Crosby attempted to avoid a hit from defenseman Radko Gudas along the boards. However, the attempt failed as he fell awkwardly with Gudas landing on top of the Penguins star.

During that incident, the broadcast cameras clearly showcased how his leg bent unusually, and even if Canada went on to win against Czechia, Sidney Crosby wasn’t pleased with himself.

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“I think everyone should be proud of the way the team performed. I thought that obviously we did everything but score. In every facet, we were just so good today. We deserved better and unfortunately, we didn’t come away with the win … It was pretty close [to me playing.] Ultimately, I wasn’t able to go out there and do what I needed to do to help the team. So at that point, you have to make a decision that’s best for the group and [it] was not an easy one, but that’s hockey. It’s hard, you just try to be around and be a positive influence,” he said.

And as Team Canada headed into the gold medal game, their coach had a stern mentality about the 38-year-old’s condition. No matter how important Crosby was, since he was 100% fit, Jon Cooper wanted no risks, as he said, “No. It’s too important. We don’t want to have somebody in there as an inspiration when we could have a player capable of helping. You never know if guys are going to get hurt. He wouldn’t want to do that either.”

However, with the Milan Olympics dream broken, his absence might be an alarming update for the Penguins.

Sidney Crosby’s team has to prepare for the worst

The Pittsburgh Penguins entered the Olympic break sitting second in the Metropolitan Division with a 29-15-12 record. This performance has exceeded many expectations, especially in light of their recent disappointing campaigns. Indeed, this is the first time they have been in playoff contention since 2022, and the team needs to hold its ground and not let its hopes slip away.

Crosby had been instrumental to that resurgence, leading the team with 27 goals and 59 points through 56 games at age 38. Now, with only five games remaining before the March 6 trade deadline, general manager Kyle Dubas faces the unenviable task of navigating a playoff push without his captain.

Well, the Metropolitan Division will continue to see heated competition, as the Penguins are just a single point ahead of the New York Islanders and just five points cushion them from the Washington Capitals and the Columbus Blue Jackets.

The Pens will begin their post-Olympic NHL schedule on Thursday against the New Jersey Devils, and it will be a tough time for them, as they won’t find their captain among the squad for almost a month.