MILAN — Josh Morrissey’s Winter Olympics are over.
The Winnipeg Jets defenceman has been ruled out for Sunday’s gold medal clash between Canada and the United States due to a mysterious upper-body injury he suffered early in his team’s first game.
“Listen, we want Josh in this game and helps us. Puck mover, everything he does,” coach Jon Cooper said following Saturday’s practice in Milan, which was closed to the media ahead of the pivotal showdown.
“In the end if you’re not physically able to do it — and the one selfless thing about this team and the way I’ve watched these players … when it comes to the flag, nobody’s getting in the way. If they’re not capable of giving what they think is optimal effort, they don’t want to put the country at harm. They understand what we have here.
FRED GREENSLADE / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES
Winnipeg Jets defenceman Josh Morrissey has been ruled out for Sunday’s gold medal clash between Canada and the United States.
“Josh, in the end, he just wouldn’t be able to perform at what he could. We made the decision.”
It would be a difficult enough pill to swallow for Morrissey in a vacuum. But considering he also missed last February’s 4 Nations Face-Off Final with illness — also against the United States — the timing feels downright cruel.
“Oh my gosh. That’s a tough one,” said Cooper.
“This is (the second time) in a year now we’ve had the same conversation and I feel for him. He’s just an all-world kid and hell of a hockey player.”
Earlier this week, Morrissey appeared to be nearing a return — particularly after Tuesday’s practice, where he was flying around the rink and skating in his usual second-pairing spot alongside Colton Parayko. Morrissey spoke with reporters afterward, saying he felt great and hoped to play in Wednesday’s quarterfinal.
“Just taking it day-by-day. A good practice here. Just trying to get ready for the rest of the tournament the best I can,” he said.
Cooper, who had told reporters after the first game “by no means are his Olympics over” clearly liked what he saw as well.
“That was a big thing for him to get out here today. In my opinion he looked great. But (no decision) until after I talk to him,” said Cooper.
Yet when the puck dropped Wednesday against Czechia, Morrissey was not in the lineup.
He skated with the team again Thursday, but left the ice as soon as the formal session ended, not staying out for extra work with most of his teammates. Curiously, team PR officials initially planned to make him available to the media, only to reverse course.
Morrissey was again sidelined for Friday’s semifinal against Finland, with Cooper still classifying him as day-to-day.
Clearly, there was some kind of setback. Asked Saturday to clarify the nature of the injury, Cooper declined.
“No. With all due respect to Winnipeg,” he replied.
During that opening game against Czechia, Morrissey’s left leg clipped the right leg of forward Martin Necas on his final shift of the first period, causing him to labour on the way back to the bench. Morrissey returned to start the second, took one more shift, then grimaced as he left the ice — this time for good.
However, with the injury classified as upper-body, it’s unclear whether either play factored into his current status.
Morrissey likely won’t be the only member of the Jets to miss the gold medal game. U.S. forward Kyle Connor is expected to be a healthy scratch for a fourth straight game, barring a late-breaking injury or illness to one of his teammates.
Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck will get the start in goal for the Americans.
NATHAN DENETTE / THE CANADIAN PRESS
Team Canada captain Sidney Crosby has not been ruled out for Sunday’s final.
In other Canadian injury news, captain Sidney Crosby has not been ruled out for Sunday’s final. Crosby was injured in Wednesday’s quarterfinal and was unable to play in Friday’s semifinal.
“We’ll see. I watched him skate today. I haven’t spoken to him yet. We’re gonna meet tonight and leave a determination of what’s gonna happen tomorrow,” Cooper said Saturday.
“Again, he won’t put himself in harm’s way and he’s not gonna put the team in harm’s way. Obviously we’d love to have him. That determination will be made tonight.”
Asked whether Crosby could dress even if he’s well below 100 per cent and severely limited, Cooper was emphatic.
“No. No. It’s too important. We don’t want to have somebody in there as an inspiration when we could have a player that could be capable of helping,” he said.
“You never know if guys are gonna get hurt in the game. He wouldn’t want to do that either.”
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Mike McIntyre is a sports reporter whose primary role is covering the Winnipeg Jets. After graduating from the Creative Communications program at Red River College in 1995, he spent two years gaining experience at the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in 1997, where he served on the crime and justice beat until 2016. Read more about Mike.
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