MILAN (AP) \u2014 Sidney Crosby scored one of the biggest goals in Canada\u2019s hockey history to win gold on home ice at the Vancouver Olympics in 2010. Since Sochi in 2014, he has been captain every time he represented his country.<\/p>\n
For a long time the best hockey player in the world, winning the Stanley Cup three times and the gold medal at the Olympics twice, Crosby has since been passed for that distinction by Connor McDavid<\/a>, now his teammate at the Games in Milan<\/a>. Crosby was more than willing to let McDavid wear the \u201cC\u201d over him, but Hockey Canada chose to stick with the respected elder statesman for the NHL\u2019s return<\/a> to this stage.<\/p>\n \u201cHe moves between management and coaches and players with great ease,\u201d Canada general manager Doug Armstrong said. \u201cHe\u2019s as good a leader as I\u2019ve been around and I\u2019ve seen.\u201d<\/p>\n At some point the leadership mantle will go to McDavid, from No. 87 to No. 97, and Crosby\u2019s injury<\/a> at the Olympics may force Canada\u2019s captain transition to happen earlier than planned. If Crosby is unable to play<\/a> in the semifinals Friday, rules require someone has the \u201cC\u201d on his chest and that will almost certainly be McDavid, Canada\u2019s captain in waiting.<\/p>\n \u201cThose two, it\u2019s Sid and then Connor who\u2019s kind of filling in his shoes and kind of taking on that role,\u201d said Macklin Celebrini, Canada\u2019s youngest player at 19. \u201cThey\u2019re different in the way that they carry themselves, but both of them are awesome people and awesome teammates.\u201d<\/p>\n McDavid is a man on a mission<\/p>\n This is the 38-year-old Crosby\u2019s third Olympics. It\u2019s the first for the 29-year-old McDavid, who is in his prime but a victim of the dozen-year gap<\/a> between NHL appearances.<\/p>\n After waiting so long for this opportunity, McDavid is not wasting a second of it. He leads all scorers with 11 points and is on pace to be tournament MVP if Canada can go all the way and win gold like it did with Crosby and Drew Doughty in 2010 and \u201914.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s doing everything,\u201d Crosby said. \u201cWhether it\u2019s with the puck without the puck, (being) physical, he\u2019s leading by example in every possible way. He\u2019s poised, and guys have taken some runs out of him. He just continues to play. I think he\u2019s (got) a lot of focus that way. He\u2019s been leading the way.\u201d<\/p>\n Doughty, Canada\u2019s second-oldest player at 36, has been on the wrong end of McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers knocking him and the Los Angeles Kings out of the playoffs in each of the past four years. That means he has had a front-row seat to McDavid\u2019s brilliance when hockey is at its toughest.<\/p>\n He has one again, only this time Doughty is happy about it.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know if he\u2019s playing better or what, but it\u2019s obviously on a bigger stage,\u201d Doughty said. \u201cFor him to be able to handle that pressure and play the way he\u2019s playing, it\u2019s pretty special.\u201d<\/p>\n Crosby was playing great until he got injured<\/p>\n Aiming for a third Olympic title, Crosby had six points in three games before leaving the fourth with an apparent right knee injury. Even after exiting the quarterfinal game against Czechia and being unable to return, he addressed the team at the second intermission, and Canada rallied from a late deficit to win<\/a> in overtime.<\/p>\n \u201cWe didn\u2019t want this to be Sid\u2019s last game at this Olympics, so it was big motivator for the guys coming out,\u201d coach Jon Cooper said, boiling down Crosby\u2019s message to, \u201cGo get it, boys.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThere was a lot more than that. But he\u2019s a true leader. And they don\u2019t want this to be the end of the tournament for him.\u201d<\/p>\n Crosby\u2019s status for the semifinal Friday against Finland is uncertain. Cooper said Crosby has not been ruled out for that game or the rest of the Olympics.<\/p>\n \u201cIf he can play, he\u2019s definitely going to,\u201d Cooper said after practice Thursday.<\/p>\n McDavid is already acting like a leader for Canada<\/p>\n Celebrini did not want to contemplate what life would be like on the ice without Crosby, though of course that\u2019s something Canada\u2019s staff has to prepare for. McDavid wears the \u201cC\u201d for Edmonton and has been displaying captain-like tendencies with his national team at the Olympics.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s a great leader for us,\u201d goaltender Jordan Binnington said. \u201cHe wants the puck. He wants to make a difference. He\u2019s excited to play. He brings great energy, and he\u2019s had a lot of big goals, contributed to a lot of big goals for us.\u201d<\/p>\n