Sidney Crosby always held out hope.

The two-time Olympic gold medallist also tried to keep a level head.

His name already etched in Canada’s sporting lore after scoring the spine-tingling overtime winner in the men’s hockey final on home soil at the 2010 Vancouver Games, Crosby followed that up by leading a dominant, second podium-topping performance four years later.

Another chance at international glory, however, was far from certain for No. 87.

The NHL first skipped the 2018 Games in South Korea for financial reasons following a run of five straight tournaments between 1998 and 2014. The league was then forced to pull the plug on its 2022 participation in China because of COVID-19 concerns.

An athlete’s time is finite. Despite still being an awe-inspiring force two decades into wha

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