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NEED TO KNOW

• While Alan Cumming has been in many successful movies, there's one he believes would have done better at the box office if it had been marketed better

• Cumming says 2001's Josie and the Pussycats was "ahead of its time" but poorly promoted

• "It could have found its audience sooner, and it could have been a much more commercially successful film if they hadn't blown it in the marketing department," he said

There's one filmAlan Cummingbelieves would have done better at the box office if it had been marketed better.

During a chat withInStyle Magazinelast month, theTraitorshost, 61, said he felt like theJosie and the Pussycatsmarketing team missed the mark when it came to promoting the 2001 musical comedy.

"My strongest memory and feeling aboutJosie and the Pussycatsis that it was a marketing disaster," he said. "It was totally marketed to the wrong audience."

While the movie "was marketed to tweens," he noted that "it's a very adult film."

"It's about sort of adult themes about the way that commerce is infiltrating our culture — it's a fun comedy, but it's got this underlying message that I don't think was appropriate or appreciated by the audience that it was targeted to," Cumming said.

However, thankfully, in the last 25 years, the film has "found its audience and people really appreciate it and are obsessed with it," which he "loves."

"I actually love being in films where people don't get it initially, and years go by, and it's sort of the gift that keeps on giving," he continued. "It could have found its audience sooner, and it could have been a much more commercially successful film if they hadn't blown it in the marketing department. Sorry to the marketing department, I'm sure you're all lovely, but you got it wrong."

He went on to say that the film was "very much ahead of its time."

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"It talks about the way that we are sold things through culture. We're actually all used to that; that's not a new thing, but then, 25 years ago, it was not really so common," theCabaretactor added.

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Josie and the Pussycats, based on the Archie Comic series of the same name, debuted in 2001. It starred Rachael Leigh Cook, Tara Reid and Rosario Dawson as the titular band members.

The movie debuted to poor reviews and a dismal box-office run, but the campy flick has since become a cult classic.

The satirical musical comedy also starredParker Posey, Gabriel Mann, Paulo Costanzo andMissi Pyle.

In 2024,CookandReidreunited atAwesome Conin Washington, D.C., where they spoke about the movie's impact and teased a possible reunion or remake project. Cook shared her appreciation forJosie and the Pussycats'devoted fanbase, helping the film stay relevant and reach cult classic status.

"You guys are a testament that the movie worked all these years later," she said. "This is all about making that movie. So, thank you!"

"If this movie came out now, it would have been huge," Reid added. "But I really feel like this movie was ahead of its time."

Read the original article onPeople

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NEED TO KNOW

• The Iron Claw stars Zac Efron, Jeremy Allen White and Harris Dickinson as three of the Von Erich brothers

• The Von Erichs were a dominant wrestling dynasty in the 1980s until a series of tragedies

• Sean Durkin's A24 film premiered in 2023 and is now available to stream on Netflix

The Iron Clawdelivered more thanchiseled physiquesandskimpy wrestling gear— it brought a devastating true story to the big screen.

The A24 film, written and directed by Sean Durkin and now streaming onNetflix, follows the rise and fall of the Von Erich wrestling family and the immense pressure placed on them by their patriarch, Fritz Von Erich (Holt McCallany).

At the center ofThe Iron Clawis Kevin Von Erich (Zac Efron) alongside his siblings Kerry Von Erich (Jeremy Allen White), David Von Erich (Harris Dickinson) and Mike Von Erich (Stanley Simons). Under Fritz's relentless drive to build a wrestling dynasty in Texas during the 1980s, the brothers rise to fame in the ring — becoming local heroes and national stars.

Known for their outlandish personalities in the ring — as well as the forehead-squeezing iron claw and other trademark maneuvers — the clan became equally renowned for a series of accidents and deaths that came to be called the "Von Erich curse." When Fritz died in 1997, five of his six sons had predeceased him, each from different circumstances.

Today, Kevin Von Erich is the only living brother. In 2009, he represented his entire family as they were collectively inducted into the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Hall of Fame.

Speaking to PEOPLE ahead of the movie's December 2023 premiere, Kevin joked that Efron "had a tough job. It's not easy to be me." An actor portraying a wrestler with decades of experience means "a whole lot to cram into a movie," he added, "but he was able to do it... he's a real star."

Here's everything to know about the true story ofThe Iron Claw.

Who was Fritz Von Erich?

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Jack Barton Adkisson Sr., born in Texas in 1929, created the ring name Fritz Von Erich in the 1950s as he transitioned from discus throwing and football to playing villainous characters in professional wrestling. Fritz worked his way up to a record-setting 20 wins at the Texas-based NWA American Heavyweight Championship and many other victories in the United States and Japan.

By the 1980s, he had also established himself as a promoter and entrepreneur. Fritz owned the World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW) which broadcast live matches from the Sportatorium in Dallas, Texas.

InThe Iron Claw, Fritz is portrayed by McCallany. Playing his wife Doris J. Smith is Tierney.

Who were the Von Erich brothers and how did they become popular wrestlers?

Eric Chakeen

Fritz and Doris married in 1950 and had a total of six children, all sons: Jack Barton Jr., Kevin, David, Kerry, Mike and Chris.

Most followed in their father's footsteps and began honing their stage personas at the Sportatorium. As regional wrestling matches grew in popularity thanks to syndicated TV, Kevin, David and Kerry established a dynasty, wrestling against each other or against rivals includingRic Flair, Chris Adams and The Fabulous Freebirds.

In the film adaptation, Dickinson plays second-eldest David, while White plays third-eldest Kerry. Simons plays fourth-eldest Mike, who allegedly had less interest in the family's wrestling legacy than his brothers. Nevertheless, he stepped into the ring briefly in the mid-1980s — as tragedy began to strike the Von Erichs.

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What is the "Von Erich curse" and how did each of the brothers die?

Unfortunately, the Von Erichs became just as well-known for a series of events that occurred outside the spotlight as for their victories within.

Although Kevin grew up the eldest Von Erich brother, it was Jack Barton Jr. who was born first, in 1952. Hediedin 1959 after a freak accident, electrocuted by a live wire and drowning in a puddle of melting snow.

So the family was no stranger to loss when David was found dead in 1984, at 25 years old, of ruptured intestines resulting from acute enteritis while on a tour with All Japan Pro Wrestling.

In 1985, Mike, who had begun wrestling to fill the void left behind by David, injured his shoulder during a match in Israel. The resulting surgery led to toxic shock syndrome and allegedly brain damage. He returned to the ring beforedyingat age 23 from a fatal dose of tranquilizers in 1987.

Youngest son Chris, who was asthmatic and smaller than all his brothers, then died by suicide in 1991 at age 21, reportedly depressed over a lack of success and injuries suffered in the ring.

Kerry, who claimed the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship not long after David's death and became the family member's most accomplished wrestler, suffered from a motorcycle accident in 1986 that resulted in the loss of his right foot. The amputation was kept a secret and Kerry continued wrestling while wearing a prosthesis. In 1993 he died at age 33, also by suicide.

"Not only have I lost a brother, I lost all of them," Kevin said inThe Last of the Von Erichs, an episode of docuseriesDark Side of the Ring. "There was talk about there being a curse on the family. It's ridiculous. A curse. What happened was just a terrible terrible thing, but no curse."

What is Kevin Von Erich up to now?

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Kevin, who in addition to being a popular character in the ring inherited the WCCW from his father, married Pamela J. May in 1980. They now live in Hawaii, and together have four children — including championship wrestlers Marshall and Ross Von Erich — and 11 grandchildren.

On Nov. 8, 2023, in Dallas, the WWE Hall of Fame inductee joined Durkin and the cast ofThe Iron Clawto celebrate thefilm's premiere.

IsThe Iron Clawa faithful biopic?

The Iron Clawpresents the important moments in the Von Erichs' story from the 1960s through the 1980s, save for one big omission: Chris does not appear in the story. PerEntertainment Weekly, writer-director Durkin cut the youngest brother from the script to keep his film's runtime to a manageable length.

To recreate real-life wrestling matches, Durkin filmed many in one take in front of a live audience, according toEW. Efron, White, Dickinson, Simons and McCallany studied archival footage of the Von Erichs and trained with pro wrestler and stunt coordinator Chavo Guerrero Jr. in order to play the athletes faithfully.

At the Dallas film premiere in November 2023, Kevin revealed to PEOPLE there were "painful spots" in seeing his life story on the big screen. "But there are beautiful ones too. I think they were good to show the love we had amongst each other and the love I had for my father. It's going to come off like he was a really hard man, but he was a hard man. But back then, a lot of fathers were."

Read the original article onPeople

Conan O'Brien has finally weighed in on the deaths of friends Rob and Michele Reiner after they famouslyattended his annual Christmas partyin Los Angeles the night beforetheir murders on Dec. 14, 2025.

"It's just so awful," hetold the New Yorkerin a newly published interview.

"And I think about how Rob felt about things that are happening in the country, how involved he was, how much he put himself out there—and to have that voice go quiet in an instant is still hard for me to comprehend."

He also reflected on his relationship with the iconic "Princess Bride" director and his wife.

"I knew Rob and Michele, and then increasingly got closer and closer to them, and I was seeing them a lot," he shared.

"My wife and I were seeing them a lot, and they were so—they were just such lovely people. And to have that experience of saying good night to somebody and having them leave and then find out the next day that they're gone. . . . I think I was in shock for quite a while afterward."

Rob and Michele's daughter, Romy, found the couplestabbed to deathin their home on Dec. 14. Rob was 78 and Michele was 70.

It was revealed at the time that their deaths occurred afterthey had argued with their son Nickat O'Brien's holiday party the previous night.

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Nick, 32, wasarrestedandcharged with two counts of first-degree murderwith a special circumstance of multiple murders.

The aspiring director faces a maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole or the death penalty.

He was being medicated fordiagnosed schizophrenia; however, the medication had the effect of making him "out of his head." Nick alsohas a long history of drug addiction.

Nick was scheduled to be arraigned last month. However, his lawyer — famed criminal defense attorney Alan Jackson —quit the case just before the court hearingon Jan. 7. The arraignment has been rescheduled for Monday.

Jackson laterdiscussed his reasons for dropping the case.

"That's a confidential communication between a lot of folks that I'm not willing to disclose," he told Billy Bush during a January appearance on the "Hot Mic" podcast.

When Bush asked if it had to do with money, Jackson responded, "You can't say that something happened with the retainer because I've never said that."

"Obviously, something happened with my ability, and my team's ability, to continue the representation, but I don't want you, your audience or anybody else to start speculating as to what that might be," he added. "I have not said a word about it."

Jackson continued, "Once I'm done, I'm done. I've withdrawn."

LONDON (AP) — Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson says the U.K. and its European allies should immediatelydeploy noncombat troopsto Ukraine to show Russian President Vladimir Putin that Western nations are truly committed to the nation's freedom and independence.

Speaking ahead of the fourth anniversary of Russia's full-scaleinvasion of Ukraine, Johnson told the BBC that the troops should be sent to peaceful regions in non-fighting roles. The comments from Johnson, who was one ofUkraine's staunchest supportersas Britain's leader during the first months of the conflict, were contained in excerpts of an interview that will be broadcast on Sunday.

If adopted, the proposal from Johnson would mark a major policy shift for the U.K. and its allies. While the "coalition of the willing" isworking on plansto send troops to Ukraine, such a deployment would only take place after an agreement to end the fighting and would be designed to police the ceasefire.

"If we are willing to do it in the context of a ceasefire, which of course puts all the initiative, all the power, in Putin's hands, why not do it now?'' Johnson said. "There is no logical reason that I can see why we shouldn't send peaceful ground forces there to show our support, our constitutional support for a free, independent Ukraine."

Western military planners have avoided discussing such a move publicly out of concern that Russia would see it as an escalation of the conflict.

Putin in September rejected Western proposals for a peacekeeping force in Ukraine, saying that any troops deployed to the country would be "legitimate targets."

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But Johnson said Putin shouldn't be able to dictate terms to Ukraine and its allies.

"It's about whether Ukraine is a free country or not," he said. "If it's a vassal state of Russia, which is what Putin wants, then obviously it's up to Putin to decide who comes to his country. If it's not, then it's up to the Ukrainians."

When asked about Johnson's comments, Britain's Ministry of Defense said the government was continuing to work with the coalition of the willing to prepare for the deployment of troops to Ukraine after a ceasefire.

"The multinational force Ukraine under UK leadership will secure peace for the long term, with the Prime Minister being clear that we will put British troops on the ground following the end of hostilities," the ministry said in a statement.

Johnson said the war in Ukraine was the result of the West's failure to support Ukraine after theinvasion of Crimeain 2014, as well as its inability to punish Bashar al-Assad forusing chemical weaponsagainst his own people in Syria and the debacle of theU.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.

"I think Putin was emboldened by a Western failure in Syria to punish Assad for using chemical weapons," he said.

"I think Putin was further emboldened in February 2022 by what he'd seen in Afghanistan, and a sort of general sense that the West was on the back foot. He'd seen those appalling pictures of Americans being forced to flee Afghanistan and the UK pulling out as well, and that really did embolden him."

The eight friends found joy in the mountains, skiing together across the untracked powder of the hushed, pristine wilderness of California's Sierra Nevada – their close friendship standing out against a rugged, unforgiving terrain.

The trip had been planned well in advance: A three-day expedition that began at Frog Lake Backcountry Huts – a hard-to-reach but cozy oasis 7,600 feet high in the Tahoe National Forest area, accessible only by ski, snowboard or snowshoe.

The group – mothers, wives and passionate, skilled skiers – came from different parts of the country for a professionally guided backcountry tour over President's Day weekend. With four guides and three other people accompanying them, they glided on skis near the frozen lake and snow-capped cliffs, under the shadow of a ridge dotted with red firs and Jeffrey pines.

The biggest winter storm of the new year loomed over the picturesque mountains, meanwhile, as dire warnings from forecasters echoed on social media.

It was the last day of a perilous backcountry odyssey. And, as predicted, the blizzard arrived, delivering blankets of unstable powder. They were headed home when the fresh snow, light and soft, suddenly descended from the slopes as one of the most ferocious forces of nature.

"Avalanche!" one of them yelled.

Within seconds, a tsunami of ice, snow and debris the size of a football field careened downhill around them, thick enough to nearly bury a house, authorities said, citing the accounts of survivors.

"It overtook them rather quickly," Nevada County Sheriff's Capt. Rusty Greene later told reporters.

The first call for help was a silent text message from an emergency beacon, mobilizing a small army of rescuers dispatched from different directions.

"Medical for avalanche in the area of Castle Peak," a voice on a fire department dispatch channel said at 10:45 a.m. Tuesday.

"Nine to ten people buried, three others attempting to dig them out," someone said in the audio as emergency responders were heard coordinating search and rescue efforts, noting no air support was available because of the storm.

An hours-long fight for survival was beginning. Some members of the group dug desperately into the snow for friends and partners as the powder began to turn into a freezing, concrete-like crust.

Six of the close friends and three guides are among the nine people killed or presumed dead in theavalanche near California's Lake Tahoe- the nation's deadliest in 45 years. Six skiers survived and were rescued.

A grueling trek to reach survivors

Sisters Liz Clabaugh and Caroline Sekar were among the dead. The others were identified by their families as Carrie Atkin, Danielle Keatley, Kate Morse and Kate Vitt. A spouse of a Tahoe Nordic Search and Rescue team member – who responded to the disaster – was also among those killed.

The families of the six women who perished said in a statement that they still have "many unanswered questions." The sheriff's office said it is investigating whether criminal negligence contributed to the incident.

"We are devastated beyond words," the families said. "Our focus right now is supporting our children through this incredible tragedy and honoring the lives of these extraordinary women."

The families asked for privacy as they grieve a "sudden and profound loss." The friends – from Idaho, the Bay Area and the nearby Truckee-Tahoe region – were "passionate, skilled skiers who cherished time together in the mountains." They had trained for the backcountry, trusted their guides and carried and were familiar with avalanche safety equipment, according to the statement.

The bodies of the eight dead skiers remain on the icy mountainside because of the treacherous conditions, the sheriff's department said. One other person is unaccounted for and presumed dead, according to Moon.

"We are heartbroken and are doing our best to care for one another and our families in the way we know these women would have wanted," the families said.

Only two members of the friends' group survived, as well as a guide and two other skiers on the tour.

In the end, one man and five women made it out, taking cover for hours under a tarp – "doing everything they can" until rescuers onsnowcatsand skies could reach them, according to Greene.

Rescuers trudged through the heavy snow, combatting gale force winds under white-out conditions and mindful that another avalanche could potentially barrel down from above, Sheriff Moon said.

Rescuers were 2 miles from the skiers when their machinery got stuck, forcing them to ski the rest of the way until they reached the avalanche site around 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, the sheriff said. The survivors used avalanche beacons and iPhone Emergency SOS via satellite to text emergency services.

An emergency official communicated with a guide for more than four hours, relaying critical information to sheriff's deputies, according to Don O'Keefe, chief of law enforcement at California's Office of Emergency Services.

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Buried in an avalanche, few people are able to dig themselves out, according to experts. Within minutes, breathing creates an ice mask around the face. The snow eventually hardens like a concrete entombment.

If pulled out within 15 minutes, theUtah Avalanche Centersays, 93% of avalanche victims live. After 45 minutes, only 20% to 30% survive. Few make it after two hours under the snow.

Survivors assemble tent-pole-like probes and stick them into the snow in hopes of striking buried skiers, according to experts.

That Tuesday morning, they frantically poked through the hardening snow for their ski partners and friends. Eventually they dug out three people who were no longer alive, the sheriff said.

"Uncovering people who are deceased, that they know and probably cared about, is just horrible," Nevada County Undersheriff Sam Browntold CBS News.

A 'magical place' beset by tragedy

Kurt Gensheimer was on a three-night trip at Frog Lake Backcountry Huts and left Sunday, just hours before the moms and the other skiers arrived. They never crossed paths.

He had been there four times in the last four years and understood the pull of the dangerous yet beautiful surroundings.

"It's a magical place," Gensheimer told CNN affiliate KCRA. "It's one of the best places to backcountry ski in the country and Frog Lake Huts are the nicest amenities, possibly in North America, for backcountry skiing."

He considered the huts a safe place to ride out a storm but his group decided to leave before the blizzard.

"The discussion in the huts was, this is a big storm coming… It's going to be falling blizzard conditions. You either should get out by Monday or plan to be there till Thursday, Friday," Gensheimer said.

The tour company that organized the ill-fated trip, Blackbird Mountain Guides, said the tour leaderswere highly trainedand certified in avalanche education.

It was also aware of the avalanche danger.

On Sunday morning, the same day the group embarked on their journey, the company warned on Facebook of a big snow storm approaching and urged skiers to monitor to the Sierra Avalanche Center and "use extra caution this week!"

That morning, the Sierra Avalanche Center issued anavalanche watchthat was elevated to awarning at 5 a.m. on Tuesday: "HIGH avalanche danger exists in the backcountry.

The most dangerous time for avalanches is after a rapid snowfall, according to experts. Tuesday's avalanche wasclassifiedas a D2.5 on a five-level scale that measures the destructive potential of moving debris, according to Moon.

The allure of backcountry skiing endures despite the risks.

Nate Greenberg, who lives in the Eastern Sierra Mountains and said he survived an avalanche in 2021, advised against rushing to judgment. Backcountry skiing, he said, involves multiple "micro decisions."

Ian McCammon, an engineer and avalanche researcher, also stressed the difficult decision making process on the slopes.

"There's usually a lot more than meets the eye to those accidents," McCammon told CNN. "Once you start getting into the specifics, you start understanding. It's easy to say that the people are foolish, or it's easy to say that people have taken a lot of risks, but sometimes they're in situations where it's not obvious to see how they came to the decision that they did."

Sara Boilen, a clinical psychologist and backcountry skier in Montana who specializes on human factors in avalanche terrain, said: "We're all desperate to understand what happened."

"As a researcher, I want to understand so that we can deepen our sense of what is hard about decision making in the backcountry," she told CNN. "As an educator, I want to understand so I can help others learn. As a backcountry user, I want to strengthen my own decision making by learning from others. And as a human I want answers - how could something like this happen? And we may never get all of the answers. That's the thing about a wicked learning environment."

She added, "Imagine losing somebody you love and simultaneously losing the relationship you have to the place you go to feel better. So, when you lose somebody in an avalanche and the mountains are the place that you feel most whole, most alive, it's where you go for healing, what do you do?"

CNN's Nouran Salahieh, Elizabeth Wolfe, Chris Boyette, Cindy Von Quednow, Alisha Ebrahimji, Chris Dolce, Mary Gilbert, Martin Goillandeau, Chimaine Pouteau, Stephanie Elam, Diego Mendoza, Karina Tsui, Danya Gainor, Briana Waxman, Andi Babineau and Brad Parks contributed to this report.

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The U.S. has officially logged982 measles cases in 2026, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday. It's more than four times the number of cases as this time last year, when alarge outbreak was just beginning in West Texas.

Twenty-six states have reported cases so far this year. Large outbreaks continue to grow inUtah, Arizonaand, most notably, South Carolina, where the virus has been spreading since the fall. As of Friday, the state had reported nearly 800 cases since January, bringing the outbreak's total to 973.

It's thelargest single measles outbreakthe U.S. has seen in a generation. South Carolina state epidemiologist Dr. Linda Bell said that at least 20 people had been hospitalized.

"These hospitalizations involve both adults and children," Bell said during a call with reporters on Wednesday. "Additional cases required medical care for measles but were not hospitalized."

According to the CDC, more than 1 in 10 measles cases in 2025 resulted in hospitalization. Most of those were children and teenagers.

In Florida, cases are also rising: The state's health department has reported 92 cases since the beginning of the year. Sixty-six of those cases are in Collier County, and largely clustered at Ave Maria University, near Naples.

Graduate student Blaise Carney toldNBC affiliate station WBBHthat he was one of the first on campus to get sick last month.

"It started with an ear infection," Carney said. "And then it proceeded with sniffles, sore throat and all the rest. And then I just progressively got worse, until I was in the ER and had a full-body rash."

Carney said he was diagnosed with measles and strep throat at the same time and got intravenous fluids in the ER. He didn't need to be admitted to the hospital, and instead isolated himself in his dorm, where he said he stayed in bed for a week.

Carney said he had been vaccinated against the virus as a child.

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Two doses of measles vaccine — one given around age 1 and the second around age 5 — are97% effective in preventing measles, usually for life, according to the CDC. That means that 3% of people can get measles even after vaccination.

Despite his illness, Carney said, the statistics overwhelmingly favor the shots.

"If you're not vaccinated, go ahead and get vaccinated," he said. "It might not protect you 100%, but it's your best shot."

The vast majority of measles cases are among unvaccinated people.

Though most people recover, some developlong-term health problemsafter their telltale rash clears. The virus targets cells that play key roles in a person's immune system, leaving them vulnerable to subsequent illnesses.

In rare cases, people can go on to develop dangerous brain inflammation seven to 10 years after a measles infection. The condition, called subacute sclerosing panencephalitis, or SSPE, is almost always fatal.

On Saturday, doctors at Children's Hospital of Orange County in California described the details of one casein the New England Journal of Medicine.

It involved a 7-year-old boy who went to the hospital following several months of seizures and cognitive problems that were progressively getting worse.

The boy had gotten measles as an infant while living in Afghanistan, where the virushas not been eliminated. (The U.S. couldlose its elimination statusas soon as this year as vaccination rates fall and the virus regains a foothold.)

Doctors wrote that when the boy arrived at the hospital, he couldn't speak and his body's muscle reflexes weren't working normally — signs of significant neurological problems. He was diagnosed with SSPE. Within a year of his first symptoms, he died.

Before measles was eliminated in the U.S., the CDC estimated that7 to 11 people out of every 100,000 were at risk for SSPE. That risk may be higher in people infected with measles before their second birthday.

MILAN (AP) — Canada has not decided whether injured captain Sidney Crosby will play inthe gold medal gameat the Olympicsagainst the U.S.on Sunday, coach Jon Cooper said Saturday.

Milan Cortina Olympics Ice Hockey

Crosby skated in practice, which was closed to reporters to maintain ashroud of secrecyaround the status of the 38-year-old center who is the most decorated player on the team with two Olympic gold medals and three Stanley Cup rings and was a key contributor before getting hurt.

"Obviously we'd love to have him," Cooper said. "He won't put himself in harm's way, and he's not going to put the team in harm's way."

Crosby leftthe quarterfinal game Wednesday night against Czechia with an apparent right knee injury and did not playagainst Finlandon Friday night in the semifinals.Connor McDavid wore the "C"in Crosby's absence and assisted on Nathan MacKinnon's go-ahead goal with 35.2 seconds remaining.

International rules allow teams to dress 13 forwards instead of the 12 permitted in the NHL, but Cooper cast doubt on the possibility of Crosby being in uniform just to fill a limited role.

"No. No, it's too important," Cooper said. "We don't want to have somebody in there as an inspiration when we could have a player that could be capable of helping. You never know if guys are going to get hurt in the game. He wouldn't want to do that, either."

Cooper pointed to two of his players with the Tampa Bay Lightning, Brayden Point and Anthony Cirelli, who were chosen for the roster but stayed home because they were not healthy enough to be a bigger help than their replacements. Injured defenseman Josh Morrissey has been ruled out.

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"When it comes to the flag, nobody's getting in the way," Cooper said. "If they're not capable of giving what they think is optimal effort, they don't want to put the country at harm. They understand what we have here."

Canada rallied from a two-goal deficit to beat Finland, motivated in part by giving Crosby a chance to play one more game at what could be his final Olympics.

"We've done that, and we'll see," McDavid said. "He's been around a lot. Obviously, he's been extremely positive: still contributing, even though he didn't play last game, but still being the leader he is."

Nick Suzuki, who moved into the spot playing between Mitch Marner and Mark Stone, figures to be there again in the final if Crosby is unavailable. Suzuki said Crosby "looked really good out there on the ice" and hopes the well-respected captain will be good enough to go.

"It'd mean a lot to him and probably us," Suzuki said. "He's such a big leader, big voice. Everyone looks up to him. It'd be awesome if he could play."

AP Winter Olympics:https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics