Sidney Crosby's status for the Gold Medal game is now official.

Although there has been a ton of excitement surrounding the lead up to the Gold Medal game between Canada and the USA that will wrap up the Men's Hockey Tournament at the 2026 winter Olympic Games, that excitement has been tempered for many as the status of one of the most talented and well respected players in the sport remains up in the air.

That man, Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby, was forced to sit out during the semi-final of the tournament when Canada battled Finland to a 3-2 victory but there were signs on Saturday that gave fans some hope. Crosby returned to the ice, skating with his teammates in practice, and Montreal Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki shared an update that made it sound like Crosby could be available for the Gold Medal game.

Unfortunately we now know that Suzuki's optimism was misplaced with the official announcement on Sunday confirming the bad news. It was National Hockey League insider Elliotte Friedman who first broke the story, revealing that Crosby will not play in the big Gold Medal game on Sunday.

This is of course a heartbreaking update for Canadian fans and hockey fans in general, with Crosby serving as one of the most important figures in the sport over the past several decades.

Crosby missed out on several opportunities to represent his country at the Olympic Games during a lengthy dispute between the NHL and the International Ice Hockey Federation and many believe this will be his last chance to play for Canada at an Olympic event. Considering everything Crosby has done for the game over his lifetime, this would be an awful way for his international hockey career to come to a close.