The entire nation of Canada went silent as they watched their hockey squad lose the gold medal game against Team USA in a heartbreaking overtime defeat. However, following the result, which was a hard pill to swallow, a rumor surfaced surrounding Captain Sidney Crosby’s involvement in the roster selection process.

Hockeyy Insiderr on X shared a report that quickly gained traction among fans, which read, “Breaking story : Sidney Crosby lobbied strongly according to sources close to Jim Nill and Brad Treliving toward @HockeyCanada NOT selecting Connor Bedard. Bedard declining team Canada invitation for the 2025 IIHF WC apparently didn’t sit well at all with Crosby , who played at the tournament and developed a friendship with Celebrini. A 19-year-old declining the invite while 37-year-old Crosby went ended up costing Bedard a spot in the Olympics according to sources.”

Going into the IIHF World Hockey Championship last year, Crosby embraced the opportunity of being a mentor to the youngsters on the roster.

“It’s just their passion and energy, which is contagious I think for me. I’ve been on a lot of different teams, in a lot of different situations, but knowing these guys a little bit and seeing them day to day, that’s something that pushes me. If anything, I remind myself daily that I’d better get to work if I want to play with these guys because they’re special players and it’s incredible what they do out there,” he said, back then.

However, as per Blackhawks insider Charlie Roumeliotis, Connor Bedard’s decision didn’t come from a lack of patriotism. “Deep down, it was probably agonizing for him to miss the opportunity, especially the chance to play with his childhood idol Sidney Crosby and close friend Macklin Celebrini. He declined because he didn’t feel he was anywhere close to the best version of himself,” Roumeliotis wrote.

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“That realization pushed him to radically change his offseason regimen so he could become the player he expects of himself moving forward, not just for the Blackhawks but for Team Canada long-term too.”

Bedard’s reasoning was simple. Rather than putting himself through pressure he couldn’t handle by joining the national team that early, he chose to dedicate his time to his training regimen entirely. The Blackhawks star wanted to sacrifice that dream to play under his idol, Crosby, in a later contest, where he aimed to be an asset to the team rather than a liability.

The World Championship took on additional significance as a proving ground for Olympic consideration, with NHL players using the tournament to showcase themselves months before roster decisions would be finalized. And the results said it all.

Celebrini took the spotlight, while Bedard faded from the equation, eventually unseen at the Milan Olympics. But whether Crosby’s reported lobbying actually occurred remains unconfirmed by any official source.

Well, Team Canada missed their captain for sure in the final.

Sidney Crosby’s absence was felt on the ice

“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,” said Connor McDavid, who assumed the captain role in the absence of the Pittsburgh Penguins star.

Even talking to EssentiallySports after the semifinal, the Oilers captain said, “We missed him obviously, he is our captain, and our leader. Missed him a lot.” So what really happened to Crosby?

The 38-year-old got hurt when his leg got bent in an unnatural direction after taking a hit from defenseman Radko Gudas in the quarterfinal against Czechia. And even if Team Canada continued to thrive without him, they still felt his absence.

Reports confirmed that he was training before the final, but here came head coach Jon Cooper’s tough decision.

“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,” the coach said, explaining the reason behind choosing to sit him out, rather than keeping him even as a substitution option.

Despite all the tries, Team Canada fell in overtime against the United States.