These might have been Sidney Crosby’s final Olympics, and he put Canada first to the end

MILAN — It is difficult to imagine what was going through Sidney Crosby’s mind as he went to bed Saturday night, perhaps knowing he would be unable to play for his third Olympic gold medal the following day, but definitely knowing it had a strong chance to be his final act on the Olympic stage.

Team Canada’s captain had to be weighing every last element of that decision, and the finality of Sunday’s gold medal game against the United States had to have been a factor.

But ultimately, it was a minor factor because that is how Crosby is wired.

The team has always meant everything to him. His country has always meant everything to him. And while that finality occupied a small corner of a racing mind, Crosby wasn’t going to let that outweigh everything he holds dear.

Crosby did not play in Canada’s 2-1 overtime loss to the United States in the gold medal game Sunday, and if that decision was his final Olympic act, it might say as much about him as the Golden Goal he scored in his first Olympic experience in 2010.

That goal in 2010 was a demonstration of Crosby’s incredible clutch gene. This was a demonstration of his incredible leadership and humility in the face of that potential finality.

“It might have crossed my mind a little bit, but ultimately, I think it was about what’s best for our group and what gives us the best chance to win,” Crosby said. “I think, yeah, that becomes pretty clear at that point. If I’m not able to go, I’m not going to compromise our team, put myself ahead of that.

“It might’ve crossed my mind, but ultimately that’s not how you make your decision.”

It might not be how he makes that decision, but not everyone would have been so selfless under the same circumstances. It has been 12 years since Crosby last played in the Olympics. He and the rest of the NHL players were supposed to go in 2022, only to have the COVID-19 pandemic snatch that away. He is 38, there is a significant amount of grey in his hair, and he is still one of the world’s best players.

While some might believe a Crosby operating at 60 or 70 percent of his powers is better than not having Crosby at all, the fact that he doesn’t think so says everything anyone needs to know about him.

“I didn’t know until this morning, and I wasn’t going to ask him,” said Crosby’s good friend and fellow Cole Harbour, N.S., native Nathan MacKinnon. “But I know he did it for us. He felt like he couldn’t battle completely. He could have just said he wanted to play and just be on the bench, but we needed everyone. He did it for us and the country to not play.”

The two days since Crosby was unable to face Finland in the semifinals, and even the two days prior since he was injured in the second period of Canada’s quarterfinal match against the Czech Republic, were spent doing everything in his power to get ready to play this game. Crosby skated in a closed practice session Saturday, and some teammates noted how good he looked on the ice.

Head coach Jon Cooper said Saturday that a decision on Crosby’s status would be made that evening, but if even MacKinnon didn’t know until Sunday morning, that suggests the final call remained up in the air late into Saturday night and perhaps until Sunday morning.

Which would have made for an interesting night of sleep for Crosby.

“It’s pretty clear, given the situation, whether you can either play or not play,” Crosby said. “And I just didn’t feel like I was able to. Even to get to the point where I had to make that decision, I didn’t think I’d be in that position after the Czech game. I think the medical staff, everybody, was incredible. Unfortunately, (I) wasn’t able to go.”

As the third period of the gold medal game wound down, with a few minutes to go and the game still tied, Crosby, Josh Morrissey — also injured and a critical piece of Team Canada who missed almost the entire tournament — and third goaltender Darcy Kuemper began putting on their equipment. They were going to join their teammates on the ice no matter the result, and that late in a tie game, they needed to get ready.

When overtime began, Crosby was basically half-dressed in his equipment, waiting to see if he would join a celebration or a wake.

Ultimately, Canada’s captain came on the ice to console his teammates, the ones he put before his own needs, before his own thoughts of finality. And those teammates were that much more disappointed they couldn’t provide one last Olympic celebration for their leader, their soul.

“You feel bad letting a guy like that down,” Canada forward and Halifax, N.S., native Brad Marchand said. “Just one of the best ever to play, one of the best leaders to ever play the game. Wish we could have got it done for him.”