Canada coach Jon Cooper just confirmed #NHLJets D Josh Morrissey will NOT play in the gold medal game due to injury. His Olympics consisted one period. Clearly there was a setback here. Cooper says he’s devastated for Morrissey especially after 4 Nations Final illness.
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Around the Jets: Morrissey ruled out for gold medal game, Pionk set to return
Photo credit: © David Kirouac-Imagn Images
By Evan Waldner
Feb 21, 2026, 19:43 EST
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We are less than 12 hours away from the men’s hockey gold medal game between Canada and the USA at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina, but sadly, we won’t be seeing the Winnipeg Jets’ franchise defenceman on the blue line due to an upper-body injury.
Mike McIntyre of the Winnipeg Free Press is on-site covering the Olympics and spoke with Canada head coach Jon Cooper on Saturday regarding Josh Morrissey’s status for Sunday’s big game.
Cooper confirmed that Morrissey will not play due to the injury, which adds to the frustration for the defenceman, who also missed last year’s 4 Nations Face-Off finale due to illness. He managed just one Olympic period before getting hurt.
“Oh my gosh. That’s a tough one,” said Cooper. “This is a year now we’ve had the same conversation and I feel for him. He’s just an all-world kid and hell of a hockey player.”
Puck drop is set for an early 7:10 a.m. CT.
On the bright side, Jets defenceman Neal Pionk skated in a regular jersey for the first time Saturday at the club’s practice. Head coach Scott Arniel also provided good news, saying the 30-year-old will be ready for the Jets’ first game back from the break next Wednesday in Vancouver against the Canucks.
Arniel was less certain about Morrissey’s status, though.
“We’ll get him home here and we’ll find out in the next couple of days.”
However, there was some positive news on the injury front as Arniel said that D Neal Pionk will be ready to go for the #NHLJets game with the #Canucks next Wednesday.
The Jets have an off day on Sunday, and many players will likely be tuning in to watch the gold medal game.
Breaking News
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