Penguins star Sidney Crosby offers hopeful update about injured reserve stint

The Pittsburgh Penguins confirmed on Wednesday that superstar captain Sidney Crosby has been placed on injured reserve and will miss at least four weeks due to the lower-body injury he suffered on Feb. 18 while featuring for Canada during the Milan Cortina Olympics men's hockey tournament. 

Crosby previously said he didn't play in this past Sunday's gold-medal matchup against the United States because he did not want "to compromise our team." On Wednesday, he suggested his injury isn't as bad as Penguins fans first feared.

How Sidney Crosby feels amid questions about his long-term status

"It feels good," Crosby explained, per Michelle Crechiolo of the Penguins' website. "Obviously, I want to be back out there as soon as possible. Just have to figure out what that looks like, how long it’s going to be, and find a way to make sure that I’m at my best when I come back."

Crosby's absences come at a brutal time for a Penguins side that entered the Olympic break as arguably the top positive surprise of the 2025-26 NHL season. While 29-15-12 Pittsburgh currently sits in the second playoff spot in the Metropolitan Division standings, Dan Kingerski of Pittsburgh Hockey Now noted that the Penguins have 19 games in 34 days. 

Pittsburgh's campaign resumes with a home game versus the New Jersey Devils on Thursday. The 28-27-2 Devils host the Buffalo Sabres (32-19-6) on Wednesday evening. 

How close did Sidney Crosby come to playing in gold-medal game? 

Crosby could only watch as the United States earned a 2-1 overtime win over Canada in Sunday's gold-medal game. On Wednesday, he indicated that he was nearly able to give it a go on the final day of the Olympics.

"A day or two after, I didn't think it was necessarily going to be an option," Crosby said about possibly playing against Team USA. "So, the fact that I even had a chance, or was close to it, the staff there was unbelievable. [Penguins head team physician Dr. Dharmesh Vyas] here was really helpful, too, in trying to go through that whole process. But unfortunately, it wasn't something I could do."

ESPN stats show that Crosby leads the Penguins with 59 points and 27 goals across his first 56 games of the season. On Wednesday, he offered somewhat of a challenge to his teammates regarding the contests he will miss. 

"To get to where we are at this point, it’s because of our team play," Crosby added during his comments, per Chris Johnston and Josh Yohe of The Athletic. "I don’t think it’s been because of any one person. It’s because collectively as a group, we’ve found different ways to win, and different guys have stepped up. As long as we continue that and understand that, then I think we give ourselves a good chance."