Penguins' Sidney Crosby placed on IR, out 1 month after Olympics injury

Feb. 25 (UPI) -- The Pittsburgh Penguins placed forward Sidney Crosby on injured reserve due to the lower-body injury he sustained at the 2026 Winter Olympics, the team announced Wednesday.

Crosby is expected to miss a minimum of four weeks of play.

The three-time Stanley Cup winner and two-time Olympic gold medalist was hurt when he took a hit from defenseman Radko Gudas in the second period of Canada's 4-3 quarterfinal win over Czechia on Feb. 18 in Milan, Italy.

Crosby, who appeared to injure his right knee, missed the semifinals and Canada's 2-1 loss to Team USA in Sunday's gold medal game.

The 38-year-old logged two goals and four assists through four appearances at Milan-Cortina. He totaled 27 goals and 32 assists through 56 appearances this season for the Penguins, who are tied for fifth in the Eastern Conference standings and are second in the Metropolitan Division.

The Penguins (29-15-12) will host the New Jersey Devils (28-27-2), who sit seventh in their eight-team division, at 7 p.m. EST Thursday in Pittsburgh.