Canada is holding out hope its captain can return for a much-anticipated showdown.
Captain Sidney Crosby skated with the team at practice on Saturday, giving him a chance to play Sunday. He is a game-time decision for the gold-medal game against Team USA, head coach Jon Cooper told reporters after the morning skate.
Crosby suffered a lower-body injury in Canada’s quarterfinal against Czechia on Wednesday.
He hobbled off the ice in the second period after he was crunched along the boards in the neutral zone by Czech defenceman Radko Gudas at centre ice and took another awkward hit along the boards later in the same shift.
The 38-year-old has two goals and four assists in four games in this tournament — his third Olympic Games.
Meanwhile, Cooper added that defenceman Josh Morrissey has been ruled out for the showdown (8:10 a.m. ET / 5:10 a.m. PT, CBC Gem, Sportsnet+) as he continues to deal with an injury suffered earlier in the tournament.
Morrissey suffered his injury in the opening preliminary game against Czechia and has missed every game since, despite not being initially ruled out for the tournament.
For the season with the Winnipeg Jets, Morrissey has appeared in all 56 games, notching 10 goals and 32 assists.
Travis Sanheim has drawn into the lineup in Morrissey’s place and is a plus-6 with one assist in four games.
