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Sidney Crosby, Jon Cooper, Jarome Iginla rally Team Canada before USA WBC quarterfinal
Photo credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images
Shi Davidi reported Sidney Crosby, Jon Cooper and Jarome Iginla hit Team Canada's WBC room before Friday's USA clash, and that kind of juice travels.
This is bigger than a nice crossover moment. For Pittsburgh Penguins fans, it is a reminder that Crosby still sets the emotional temperature of any Canadian room.
The Penguins are 32-18-15 and still grinding through a tight Metropolitan race, so Crosby's voice carries added weight right now.
He has 27-32-59 in 2025-26, and those numbers explain why teammates still follow his tone before they follow anybody else's.
Canada also reached the WBC quarterfinals for the first time, which makes this message land even harder. The stage is real now, not ceremonial.
That is why this note from Hockey Canada matters. It told Baseball Canada, you are stepping into a pressure game, act like Canadians who expect to win.
Jon Cooper's presence in that video adds structure. He is not there for decoration, he is there because his message is always about habits under stress.
Sidney Crosby still drives Team Canada belief
Penguins fans know this feeling, part pride, part ache, because Crosby can lift a room even when he is not in uniform.
Jarome Iginla rounds out the message with history. Crosby brings the present standard, Cooper brings the bench voice, and Iginla brings the old scar tissue.
That mix speaks to baseball players facing the United States in a knockout game. It says stay calm, win your shifts, and do not blink first.
For Pittsburgh, there is another layer. Crosby missed the final two Olympic games with a lower-body injury, and he remains on IR, so every public glimpse of him gets read closely.
There is no cap hit angle here, but there is roster truth. When Crosby is absent, the Penguins lose their cleanest matchup driver and their calmest late-game brain.
Saturday's trip to Utah still sits ahead for Pittsburgh, but Friday night belongs to Team Canada. Crosby's message fits both worlds, lead first, then let everyone else breathe.
Also read on HockeyUnplugged :
Sidney Crosby's Olympic injury confirmed by Mitch Marner as grade 2 MCL sprain, Penguins impact grows
Sidney Crosby's Olympic injury confirmed by Mitch Marner as grade 2 MCL sprain, Penguins impact grows
Previously on HockeyUnplugged
| POLL | ||
MARS 13|69 ANSWERS Sidney Crosby, Jon Cooper, Jarome Iginla rally Team Canada before USA WBC quarterfinal Will Sidney Crosby's message help Team Canada baseball beat USA on Friday? | ||
| Yes | 29 | 42 % |
| No | 40 | 58 % |
| List of polls | ||