Penguins reveal Crosby's fate after suffering Olympics injury

Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby. Bob Frid-Imagn Images

Penguins reveal Sidney Crosby's fate after suffering injury during Olympics

By Mike J. Asti | Last updated Feb 25, 2026 11:42 AM ET

From the moment Sidney Crosby went down and left Canada's semifinal game, it became clear his injury could be severe enough to linger beyond the Olympics.

Then, once Crosby held himself out of the gold-medal game, citing not being healthy enough to help his team, it became even more evident he would miss some time in the NHL as well.

If Crosby couldn't help his country — Canada would fall to Team USA 2-1 in overtime — he had to be dealing with a significant injury of some kind. Before his injury, Crosby set an Olympic record for NHL players in total points.

Now, with the dust settled on the Olympics and the NHL season set to resume, Pittsburgh Penguins fans have learned the fate of their beloved star. Crosby has been officially placed on injured reserve with what's just being labeled a lower-body injury, as announced by the franchise on Wednesday. He will now be out for at least four weeks.

Sidney Crosby's fate could've been worse for Penguins

And while it certainly sounds as if Crosby will be able to return for the stretch run and then the playoffs, the onus is on the rest of the team to ensure the Penguins don't drop too far down in the standings without their captain.

Forward Sidney Crosby (lower-body) has been placed on Injured Reserve.

Defenseman Kris Letang has been activated from Injured Reserve. pic.twitter.com/sHMiS02YHh
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) February 25, 2026

Penguins don't have too much room for error without Sidney Crosby

The Penguins currently sit in a comfortable position as far as being on track to at least make the playoffs, something few predicted would happen entering the season. Through 56 games to this point, the Penguins are 29-15-12 with 70 team points, which is good enough for second place in the Metropolitan Division and eight points behind the Carolina Hurricanes.

However, the issue is that Pittsburgh is only one point ahead of the New York Islanders and just five points in front of the Columbus Blue Jackets. As far as compared to the entire Eastern Conference, the Montreal Canadiens and Detroit Red Wings both have 72 points, and Buffalo has 70, creating a logjam for seeding that could change on a nightly basis.

Sidney Crosby was at the top of his game before the Olympic break

Before the Olympics got underway, Crosby had registered 27 goals and assists for 59 points while playing in every game during the 2025-26 season. Back in December, Crosby moved past Penguins icon Mario Lemieux to become the franchise's all-time scoring leader.

Pittsburgh's first game minus Crosby will be on Thursday night when it opens up post-Olympic play by welcoming golden-goal-scoring Jack Hughes and the New Jersey Devils to PPG Paints Arena. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.

Mike J. Asti

Mike Asti is an experienced media personality and journalist with a vast resume and skillset, most notably from time with TribLIVE Radio and WPXI-TV. Asti now serves as the Managing Editor of WV Sports Now, where he leads the coverage of WVU sports. He has also covered the Steelers, Penguins, Pirates and other teams within the Pittsburgh market

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