The dust has all but settled on Team Canada’s agonizing defeat to Team USA in the Men’s Hockey gold medal game after Jack Hughes’ late, late winner condemned the Canadians to defeat.
As celebrations rang out across the United States, with President Donald Trump particularly ecstatic with the gold medal, one pressing question arose across Canada: would Team Canada have come out on top had Sidney Crosby been on the ice?
Sidney Crosby Addresses Villainous Narrative Around Radko Gudas
The Team Canada and Pittsburgh Penguins captain made himself available to the media on Wednesday, Feb. 25. Crosby was asked for his thoughts on Czechia and Anaheim Ducks defenseman Radko Gudas’s hit that left him sidelined in the quarterfinal.
“I don’t have a problem with the play,” Crosby said. “He was trying to be physical and step up, play hard, as any defenseman would.”
For his part, Gudas also sang from the same hymn sheet. In the immediate aftermath, Gudas said that he had no intention of hurting Crosby on that play and also made sure to check on the Canadian star after the game.
This week, Gudas added to that train of thought, saying, “Obviously, it’s tough to see. You never want to see anybody get hurt. But it’s a tough, hard game out there, and it’s been just unfortunate.
“Hopefully, he can recover well. I don’t really know what else to say. It was a freak accident. You’re just trying to play as hard as possible and then see what happens.”
The Penguins announced that Crosby will now miss a minimum of four weeks due to a lower-body injury. Pittsburgh has since placed him on injured reserve. It should be noted that the Penguins are scheduled to play 15 games over the coming four weeks owing to a compressed post-Olympic NHL schedule.
On account of the unfortunate injury, Crosby’s streak of starring in 81 straight games will snap. Connor Dewar (73 games) is now the proud owner of the longest active streak of consecutive games played on the current Penguins roster.
The Penguins also indulged in some trade activity after the Olympic break, shipping off veteran blue liner Brett Kulak to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for Samuel Girard and a 2028 second-round pick.
“We feel that we will have more opportunity here for Sam,” Penguins GM Kyle Dubas said after the trade was finalized.
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“In Colorado, he was behind a great group on the back end of a team that sits atop the league table and has the entire year. We feel Sam can play higher in our lineup because of his ability to play both special teams, ability move the puck effectively up the ice, mobility, and ability to defend using his feet and intelligence.”
With that trade, the Penguins now have 20 picks over the next four NHL drafts, the highest tally in the league.
