Injured Canada captain Sidney Crosby's status uncertain for the Olympic gold medal game

MILAN (AP) — Canada has not decided whether injured captain Sidney Crosby will play in the gold medal game at the Olympics against the U.S. on Sunday, coach Jon Cooper said Saturday.

Crosby skated in practice, which was closed to reporters to maintain a shroud of secrecy around the status of the 38-year-old center who is the most decorated player on the team with two Olympic gold medals and three Stanley Cup rings and was a key contributor before getting hurt.

"Obviously we’d love to have him," Cooper said. “He won’t put himself in harm’s way, and he’s not going to put the team in harm’s way.”

Crosby left the quarterfinal game Wednesday night against Czechia with an apparent right knee injury and did not play against Finland on Friday night in the semifinals. Connor McDavid wore the “C” in Crosby's absence and assisted on Nathan MacKinnon's go-ahead goal with 35.2 seconds remaining.

International rules allow teams to dress 13 forwards instead of the 12 permitted in the NHL, but Cooper cast doubt on the possibility of Crosby being in uniform just to fill a limited role.

“No. No, it’s too important,” Cooper said. "We don’t want to have somebody in there as an inspiration when we could have a player that could be capable of helping. You never know if guys are going to get hurt in the game. He wouldn’t want to do that, either.”

Cooper pointed to two of his players with the Tampa Bay Lightning, Brayden Point and Anthony Cirelli, who were chosen for the roster but stayed home because they were not healthy enough to be a bigger help than their replacements. Injured defenseman Josh Morrissey has been ruled out.

“When it comes to the flag, nobody’s getting in the way,” Cooper said. “If they’re not capable of giving what they think is optimal effort, they don’t want to put the country at harm. They understand what we have here.”

Canada rallied from a two-goal deficit to beat Finland, motivated in part by giving Crosby a chance to play one more game at what could be his final Olympics.

“We’ve done that, and we’ll see,” McDavid said. “He’s been around a lot. Obviously, he’s been extremely positive: still contributing, even though he didn’t play last game, but still being the leader he is.”

Nick Suzuki, who moved into the spot playing between Mitch Marner and Mark Stone, figures to be there again in the final if Crosby is unavailable. Suzuki said Crosby “looked really good out there on the ice” and hopes the well-respected captain will be good enough to go.

“It’d mean a lot to him and probably us," Suzuki said. “He’s such a big leader, big voice. Everyone looks up to him. It’d be awesome if he could play.”

AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

Canada's Sidney Crosby (87) is helped as he leaves the bench after being checked against the boards during the second period of a men's ice hockey quarterfinal game between Canada and Czechia at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Canada's Sidney Crosby (87) is attended to after being injured during the second period of a men's ice hockey quarterfinal game between Canada and Czechia at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Canada's Sidney Crosby (87) is led away from the ice after being injured during the second period of a men's ice hockey quarterfinal game between Canada and Czechia at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Canada's Connor McDavid wears the team captain's letter C on his jersey in place of the injured Sidney Crosby during the second period of a men's ice hockey semifinal game against Finland at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy, Friday, Feb. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

LYON, France (AP) — Several hundreds joined a march organized by far-right groups on Saturday after a nationalist activist died from a beating in Lyon in an incident that highlighted a climate of deep political tensions ahead of next year's presidential vote.

French President Emmanuel Macron called for calm ahead of the tribute to Quentin Deranque, a 23-year-old who died of brain injuries in a hospital last week. The demonstrations took place under heavy police scrutiny.

“This is a moment of remembrance and respect for this young compatriot who was killed, for his family and loved ones. That must come first. And then it is a moment of firmness and responsibility,” Macron said.

Seven people have been handed preliminary charges. The Lyon public prosecutor’s office requested that each of them be charged with intentional homicide, aggravated violence and criminal conspiracy. Six of the accused were charged on all three counts. The seventh was charged with complicity in intentional homicide, aggravated violence and criminal conspiracy.

Deranque was attacked during a fight that erupted between far-left and far-right supporters on the margins of a student meeting where a far-left lawmaker, Rima Hassan, was a keynote speaker.

Macron said he will hold a meeting with ministers next week to carry out a comprehensive review of all violent activist groups that have links to political parties. He hinted that some groups could be dismantled.

“In the Republic, no violence is legitimate,” he said. “There is no place for militias, wherever they come from. We must be absolutely uncompromising.”

The main tribute to Deranque took place in Lyon, where clashes between far-right activists and far-left groups have become frequent. Their fighting often takes the form of organized street battles in the city, sometimes involving groups of several dozen people.

Lyon’s far-left-leaning militant groups are more recent and were created in reaction to the many far-right groups that have been present for several decades. The city is seen by intelligence services as the cradle of far-right activism in France.

Deranque’s parents also called for calm and did not take part in the tribute, which was not banned by French authorities.

Deranque’s death triggered a storm of recriminations, mostly blaming the far-left France Unbowed party and its leader, Jean-Luc Mélenchon. Among the suspects is the parliamentary aide of a France Unbowed lawmaker who set up the anti-fascist group The Young Guard.

There was a minute’s silence before the start of the march. Some demonstrators held white tulips and displayed stickers bearing the slogan: “Quentin, killed by Mélenchon’s militia.”

Many men dressed in black, some with their faces partially covered, joined the march. Christian Petiteau, 70, who traveled from the neighboring Isère region, said Deranque was “cowardly murdered” and that he came to honor his memory.

France Unbowed’s opponents accuse it of fomenting violence and tensions with its combative far-left politics. Mélenchon has condemned the violence and insisted that his party bore no blame for the tragedy.

Mélenchon stood for the presidency in 2012, 2017 and 2022, but failed to advance to the decisive runoff round. He is preparing for another expected run next year, when Macron’s second and last term ends.

France is holding municipal elections next month and right-wing political forces have been using the incident to demonize France Unbowed. Far-right National Rally leader Jordan Bardella has called for a common front against Mélenchon's party.

Criticism also came from prominent figures on the left, including former French President François Hollande. He said the mainstream left, including his Socialist Party, must not team up again with Mélenchon’s party for the upcoming elections, as they did in the past.

French President Emmanuel Macron talks to a farmer as he visits the International Agriculture Fair during the opening day in Paris, Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard, Pool)

A woman holds a placard reading "Justice for Quentin" as she pays tribute to far-right student, Quentin Deranque, 23, who died in Lyon from a street beating during clashes between far-left and far-right militants, in Lille, northern France, Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias)

France's President Emmanuel Macron attends the opening of the International Agriculture Fair in Paris, Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard, Pool)