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Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCredit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
Reports have surfaced that after he got hurt during Wednesday\u2019s Olympic quarterfinals in Milan, Italy, Team Canada and Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby helped rally the troops.<\/p>\n
Crosby is hardly the only NHL captain playing for the Canadians, and hardly the only superstar. But the team listened and went on to down Czechia in overtime to advance to Friday\u2019s semifinal against Finland.<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, but there\u2019s nobody like him,\u201d longtime Penguins teammate Kris Letang said on Thursday of Crosby\u2019s voice carrying so much weight among a collection of elite talent. \u201cYes, it\u2019s all stars and great players, but there\u2019s nobody like Sid. Nobody can do what he does.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to Team Canada coach Jon Cooper, Crosby gave his teammates a \u201cgo get it, boys\u201d during the second intermission after he left during the second period with an apparent leg or knee injury.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s Sidney Crosby,\u201d Team Canada and Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid told reporters. \u201cHe\u2019s going to have a big influence no matter what. In the lineup, not in the lineup, he\u2019s going to have a big influence. That\u2019s what he does.\u201d<\/p>\n
Letang knows that well.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m pretty sure he tried his all to get back out there, and he made the decision not to go back because he didn\u2019t think he could help the team,\u201d Letang said. \u201cI\u2019m sure he put some words into it between periods and tried to support his teammates the best he could.\u201d<\/p>\n
First-year Penguins coach Dan Muse has been around Crosby for less than a full season, but he was no less surprised than Letang at the Crosby effect.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. No surprise at all. From getting the opportunity to work together and get to know him over the season, that does not surprise at all,\u201d said Muse, adding it worked both ways \u2013 he was neither surprised that Crosby took it upon himself to try to spark the troops, nor that his Team Canada brethren responded positively.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t probably properly describe what a special \u2013 not just player, but also leader and human being he is,\u201d Muse said. \u201cYou hear about it around the league, but then when you see it first-hand \u2026 so none of that comes as a surprise at all.\u201d<\/p>\n
While Team Canada, the Penguins and essentially the hockey world waited on pins and needles, the update <\/a>that came from Cooper early Thursday \u2014 hours before the Penguins practiced at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex \u2014 was not specific but was upbeat. Crosby seems to be day to day.<\/p>\n \u201cI got the same thing, just the update from Team Canada that went out to the public,\u201d Muse said. \u201cThat\u2019s the information that we have as well.<\/p>\n \u201cObviously, thinking of Sid. It\u2019s good to hear that that\u2019s the current status, and continuing to think of him and (be) hopeful.\u201d<\/p>\n St. Ivany on the Ice<\/p>\n Defenseman Jack St. Ivany <\/a>skated before the Penguins practiced as he rehabs from surgery on his left hand.<\/p>\n Muse said St. Ivany \u201chas been on the ice for a couple days. I have nothing new to report in terms of his status. He\u2019s moving along. He\u2019s moving along well.\u201d<\/p>\n St. Ivany, who had formed a solid third pairing with Ryan Shea before he got hurt, is only a little more than three weeks out from the surgery. The initial outlook was that he would miss up to eight weeks. So even though he did some drills with his stick, and even if he might be a little ahead of schedule, it could still be a while before he is ready to return to playing.<\/p>\n No Bones About It<\/p>\n With Arturs Silovs away after playing for Latvia at the Olympics, the Penguins are getting creative to make sure they have enough goaltending help behind fellow regular Stuart Skinner during practices this week.<\/p>\n Thursday, a new face emerged, although he\u2019s apparently not a candidate to push anyone for playing time.<\/p>\n Assistant coach and former Penguins forward Nick Bonino was a man behind the mask and donned the pads at practice.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s got some work to do,\u201d Muse deadpanned. \u201cHe\u2019s working hard out there. He\u2019s taking some steps, but he\u2019s going to need to take maybe a couple private lessons with (goalie coach Andy Chiodo).\u201d<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tTags: Dan Muse<\/a> Jack St. Ivany<\/a> Kris Letang<\/a> Nick Bonino<\/a> Pittsburgh Penguins<\/a> Shelly Anderson<\/a> Sidney Crosby<\/a> <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/2B3F3D18-6397-4526-B80F-E524E5401EC5_1_105_c.jpeg\")
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