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Jon Cooper makes his stance clear on dressing Sidney Crosby as 13th forward for Canada


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Jack Sutherland
February 21, 2026  (5:15 PM)
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Feb 20, 2026; Milan, Italy; Jon Cooper of Canada looks on after the game against Finland in a men's ice hockey semifinal during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena.
Photo credit: James Lang-Imagn Images

Team Canada coach Jon Cooper has made his stance clear on whether or not he would consider deploying Sidney Crosby as a 13th forward in tomorrow’s gold medal game against Team USA.

Team Canada captain Sidney Crosby was not able to play in their exciting 3-2 win over Team Finland, which advanced them to the gold medal game against Team USA tomorrow.
Much of the speculation has been about whether or not Crosby will be able to play tomorrow, as his status has yet to be officially announced.
Head coach Jon Cooper was recently asked if he would consider deploying Crosby as a 13th forward, and he made his stance on that perfectly clear.
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. - Jon Cooper
It sounds like if he’s able to play, Crosby will be used at full capacity.

Sidney Crosby Was Hurt In Their Win Over Czechia

Crosby sustained a lower body injury when he took a pair of hard hits from Radko Gudas and then Martin Necas.
He had trouble getting back to his skates, and was seen limping as he gingerly made his way to the locker room.
He would soon be ruled out for the rest of the game, which his teammates rallied for a 4-3 OT win.
Teammate Mitch Marner rescued Canada with the OT GWG after Nick Suzuki’s deflection goal tied the game at 3-3 late in the third period.
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Jon Cooper makes his stance clear on dressing Sidney Crosby as 13th forward for Canada

Will Sidney Crosby play tomorrow?


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