And yet, Canada looked a little lost without them. Having blasted Czechia 5-0 in the preliminary round in Milan, the Canadian men found themselves trailing 3-2 late in the quarter-final rematch. With Crosby missing, head coach Jon Cooper threw his two best centres, Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon, on the same line in what was either inspired genius or desperate panic. Maybe both. That pair, playing with teenage sensation Macklin Celebrini, flew all over the place, but the tying and winning goals came from elsewhere and it was noticeable that Crosby’s ice-tilting gravity was not present.