By Amy Tennery and Giulio Piovaccari
MILAN, Feb 18 (Reuters) – A pep talk from injured captain Sidney Crosby was just the motivation Canada needed to survive a shockingly tough test from the Czech Republic on Wednesday, as the hot favourites reached the men’s Olympic ice hockey semi-finals with a come-from-behind overtime nailbiter.
Canada had looked solid as a maple tree in Milan but were pushed to the brink by the Czech team, needing an equaliser from Nick Suzuki with less than four minutes left in regulation before Mitch Marner ended it 82 seconds into the extra time for a 4-3 victory.
The team were forced to play much of the contest without the 38-year-old Crosby, who went off the ice gingerly in the second period after colliding with Czech defenceman Radko Gudas in the do-or-die contest and did not return.
“He couldn’t come out for the third but he did address the players,” said coach Jon Cooper. “We didn’t want this to be Sid’s last game at this Olympics. So it was a big motivator for the guys coming out.”
His message? “‘Go get it, boys’,” said Cooper.
“He’s a true leader and they didn’t want it to be the end of the tournament for him,” he added, telling reporters it was too early to comment on his condition.
Crosby, a long-time star and Stanley Cup winner with the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins, is a living legend in Canada. He has orchestrated some of his country’s greatest Olympic moments, including their 2010 “Golden Goal,” and his current Canada team mates fought harder with Crosby’s legacy in mind.
“Hopefully he’s back in the next game,” said 19-year-old forward Macklin Celebrini. “That’s our leader, our captain, the heart and soul of our team.”
(Reporting by Amy Tennery and Giulio Piovaccari in Milan; Editing by Bill Berkrot)