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