Sidney Crosby already has two Olympic gold medals in his trophy case, but it appears he might not get a chance to add a third.
Crosby said he was "disappointed" by the NHL's decision, announced Monday, to not send its players to the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
"When you hear about the negotiations and things like that, I really thought something was going to be able to get worked out," Crosby said. "Unfortunately that's not the case."
The NHL has interrupted its season to allow players to participate in each Winter Olympics since the 1998 Nagano games, but owners are reluctant to do so again in 2018, particularly for games that will take place in the middle of the night in North America.
Still, Crosby had remained optimistic a deal would be struck and said he felt as though Monday's announcement "came out of nowhere."
"It's disappointing," he said. "It was a great experience, and I think a lot of guys want to be a part of it."
Many NHL players still may be a part of it, even if the NHL doesn't interrupt its season. Capitals star Alex Ovechkin reiterated Tuesday that he still intends to play in Pyeongchang regardless.
Crosby was less committal but left that option open.
"It's a difficult situation to be in, there's no doubt," Crosby said. "But I know some guys have been vocal about going regardless. I'm not sure if I'm thinking quite that far ahead yet. It's something that just happened. It's something you have to think about."
Penguins winger Patric Hornqvist, who played for Sweden in this year's World Cup, said the prospect of having a few players missing two weeks of NHL games next season could be a bit odd. But he and Crosby also acknowledged this could simply be a negotiating tactic from the NHL, and a deal could still be struck.
"That would be kind of weird to see some guys leaving, and it's only going to be a few players, too," Hornqvist said. "I don't think we have heard enough of this, I think there's going to be more coming.
"I don't want to speculate with that. My vote is if I get a chance to go, I would like to go."
