The heartbreak of “what might have been” lingers long when a gold medal slips away in overtime, and Canada’s men’s hockey team found themselves living that ache just as the women did, ending these Winter Games with matchups that bookended heartbreak.
Crosby absent due to injury; the gold-medal final watched from the trainer’s room
Chris Jones, CBC Sports
Posted: Feb 22, 2026 2:15 PM EST | Updated 2 hours ago
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Chris Jones reports from Milan.
Losing gold in overtime is a uniquely painful experience, and Canada’s men mirrored the women by ending these Games with a pair of heartbreaks that felt almost symmetrical.
Both teams carried captains who had injured knees. Both were carrying colossal national expectations and their own high standards. And both had chances to win the title.
Both teams fell 2–1 to the United States.
It’s a peculiar bit of Olympic arithmetic: the gold and bronze medals in hockey are often earned by different emphases of elation, while the silver medalists walk away with a hollow sense of what might have been.
Jack Hughes delivers the golden tally as the U.S. defeats Canada in a dramatic overtime finish.
For Canada’s men, it’s difficult to determine who felt the sting most, or precisely why.
Sidney Crosby—who chose not to play when he felt he couldn’t contribute—stood on the ice in his dry uniform, silver-framed hair and medals around his neck, embodying a quiet, late-career resignation.
“Unfortunately, in one game, anything can happen,” he said after. “There were so many opportunities we could have converted. But as a team, I don’t think there’s much more we could have done.”
WATCH | Crosby discusses the tough decision not to play:
Sidney Crosby praises the team’s effort, explains why sitting out was the right call
Five hours ago |
Duration 1:38
Sidney Crosby reflects on Canada’s loss in the Olympic men’s hockey gold-medal game and explains why sitting out due to his injury was a difficult but correct choice.
Macklin Celebrini, at 19, played with the infectious confidence of youth, but the moment he dragged himself to the dressing room with swollen eyes suggested a dream that might not come true after all.
Drew Doughty, who could have earned his third gold, fought to keep his voice steady as he spoke.
“I thought it was going to turn out different,” he said. “I’m going to be friends with these guys for life. That won’t change. It would have been nice, though, to see them celebrate a gold in 20 years and share it.”
Analysis
Canadians appeared destined for gold, until Connor Hellebuyck’s heroics stopped them in their tracks (more on the analysis here).
And then there’s Connor McDavid, arguably the greatest player on the planet, whose gifts are underscored by the sting of near-misses. He chose to stay away from the interview room afterward, retreating to a quiet space to ponder what more he might do to win.
A different path of reckoning existed for this extraordinary team, in a variety of forms.
The absence of Crosby looms large in the gallery of what-ifs. How different might the outcome have been with him in the lineup? Could Canada have converted its two-man advantage in the second period? Would Crosby have finished with a second overtime goal?
There were other chances too: McDavid’s breakaway in the second period, Celebrini’s potential score in the third, or Hellebuyck’s astonishing paddle save on Devon Toews that kept the game tied, or Nathan MacKinnon’s late opportunity just inches to the right.
“I missed a wide-open net,” MacKinnon admitted. “It just felt like it wasn’t meant to be.”
WATCH | Hellebuyck’s paddle save keeps the game tied:
Connor Hellebuyck makes an incredible paddle save to deny Canada’s Devon Toews
In another vein, the script could have read differently without a few marginal moments—that is, if Canada hadn’t needed a comeback in the quarterfinals against the Czech Republic, where Mitch Marner won it in overtime, or if they hadn’t rallied from a 2–0 deficit against Finland in the semifinal, with MacKinnon delivering the winner with 35.2 seconds left.
Crosby watched those games from the training room, and that’s where he stayed for the final. He described that he trusted his routine, hoping it would make a difference in a game decided by tiny margins.
In the 1970s, NBA coach Gene Shue famously disliked listening to hockey on the radio, likening it to hearing a description of one mistake after another. Some might see hockey as a sport of hard surfaces, unpredictable bounces, and limited space to move the puck, where a single misstep can mean the end of a game.
But beyond the surface, Canada’s hockey is a thing of beauty, especially evident in its most painful moments.
WATCH | Jack Hughes scores the overtime winner for the U.S. (gold medal game):
Jack Hughes’ OT goal gives the U.S. the win over Canada for Olympic gold
Crosby, at 38, was told in the third period to start suiting up because medals would be awarded regardless of the outcome. He prepared in the usual way, donning his gear. He laced up old, taped-together shoulder pads, tightened his skates, and carried on as if there could still be a miracle.
When overtime began, he slowed, and he didn’t finish dressing until the game ended. He put on his red jersey one last time, perhaps for the final time, and then walked to the rink for one last step onto the ice.
In the minutes after such a sting, it’s a cold consolation to remember that hockey, like life, isn’t defined by a single mistake. It’s defined by a string of opportunities—the chances we seize and the ones we learn from.
We should be grateful for every moment that carries real meaning, and every pursuit of gold we’re given to chase.
