After 12 years away from the Olympics, Sidney Crosby is 'motivated' for another shot at gold

Most people remember the call for Jarome Iginla to pass the puck, the moment when the young star put the puck in the net, and the jubilation that followed.

A country erupted when a 22-year-old Sidney Crosby scored the overtime winner at the Vancouver Olympics in 2010. Nearly 16 years later, Crosby remembers winning gold on home soil as one of the best moments in what has been a storied hockey career.

But Crosby also remembers the devastation he felt when the Canadians, who were less than 30 seconds away from a regulation win, yielded the tying goal to American forward Zach Parise. That feeling of being so close to what he dreamed about as a boy in Cole Harbour, N.S., and then having it disappear through his fingers like quicksand, will probably stay with him for the rest of his life.

Inside the locker room before overtime, the Canadian players were rattled. Not veteran defenceman Scott Niedermayer. He was poised, unshaken in his belief in their team. So was head coach Mike Babcock, who called for someone to turn the page, step up and become the overtime hero.

Crosby felt devastation turn to determination and intensity. They were at home. It was an opportunity they wouldn’t let slip away, and a moment Crosby was ready to meet.

“That confidence and just everyone believing in that, that was pretty clear, I think, heading out for overtime,” Crosby told CBC Olympics host Ariel Helwani in an exclusive interview. “I think even as a young guy, I felt that and that was really cool to be a part of, and then to go out there and get it done.”

No longer Sid the kid at 38, Crosby has another opportunity to create a magical Olympic moment in Italy in February. On Tuesday, Lululemon unveiled the kit that athletes will wear at the 2026 Milano-Cortina Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, and Crosby was named a Team Canada ambassador.

There’s little doubt it will be Crosby wearing the C on his jersey when the Canadian men begin play against the Czech Republic on Feb. 12. No one would be surprised if he carried Canada’s flag at the opening ceremony, either.

But all of that seems far off in the distance for him. For now, Crosby — who was named to the team along with five other players back in June — is just happy to be going back to the Olympics.

He’s also motivated. In his 21st professional season, Crosby is still one of the best players in the NHL. As of Tuesday, Crosby had 12 goals in 19 games, only two goals behind the league leader, Colorado Avalanche forward and fellow Nova Scotian, Nathan MacKinnon.

Along the way, Crosby has led his Pittsburgh Penguins to third place in the Eastern Conference, despite low expectations for the team going into the season.

Going back to the Olympics is an opportunity Crosby has waited 12 years to get, and one he wasn’t sure would ever come. It could have been that we've already seen Crosby's final Olympic appearance at the Sochi Winter Games, without knowing it at the time. Nothing was guaranteed, not the NHL players’ return to the Games, not Crosby’s health or longevity.

Instead, there’s at least one more episode to watch from one of the best to ever play the game.

“To miss them and to not know what was going to happen, and now to know that we're finally going back, that's motivation in itself,” Crosby said. “That's kind of on my mind the most. It's just making the most of this opportunity here.”