Crosby has been with the team since his injury, addressing the group and talking one-on-one with players about what he’s seeing.
“He was extremely positive,” center Connor McDavid said. “He’s still contributing even though he didn’t play the last game. He’s still the leader he is.”
McDavid wore the “C” in Crosby’s absence on Friday and would likely wear it again if he couldn’t play on Sunday. International Ice Hockey Federation rules state that teams must have a player wearing the “C” in every game.
“We really wanted to give him an opportunity to play another game,” McDavid said. “We did it and we’ll see.”
Canadian defender Josh Morrissey was excluded from the gold medal game, Cooper said.
Morrissey has not played since Canada’s tournament opener against Czechia on Feb. 12, when he suffered an undisclosed injury.
He seemed to be doing better and was skating in practice, but Cooper said he wasn’t able to help on Sunday and so wouldn’t play.
“We want Josh in this game and he helps us, but at the end of the day, if you’re not physically able to do it…” Cooper said. “The one unselfish thing about this team and the way I looked at these players, and that goes as far as Brayden Point And Anthony Cirelliwhen it comes to the flag, no one objects.
“If they’re not able to give what they think is an optimal effort, they don’t want to put the country at risk. They understand what we have here. Josh, at the end of the day, he just wouldn’t be able to do what he could, so we had to make the decision.”
Morrissey was also unable to play against Team USA in the championship match of the 4 Nations showdown last year because he was ill.
“We’ve been having the same conversation for a year now,” Cooper said, “and I feel for him because he’s just an all-around kid and a heck of a hockey player.”
