Captain Canada is in.
Sidney Crosby said he is “good to go” for the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament on Monday despite missing the Pittsburgh Penguins’ past two games with injury.
Crosby practised with Team Canada earlier in the day, where he linked up with fellow Cole Harbour, N.S., native Nathan MacKinnon and Vegas Golden Knights power forward Mark Stone on the team’s top line.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman had reported that the decision to play in the 4 Nations Face-Off was in Crosby’s hands.
“The Penguins have said that this is his call,” Friedman said on the Saturday Headlines segment of Hockey Night in Canada. “Obviously, Sidney Crosby being who he is and what he’s done for this franchise, they have said, ‘If you want to play in this, it’s your decision and we will support it.’”
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4 Nations Face-Off on Sportsnet
The inaugural edition of the 4 Nations Face-Off is here with the top players from Canada, Sweden, Finland and the United States going head-to-head in the highly-anticipated best-on-best event. Watch all the games on Sportsnet starting with Canada vs. Sweden on Feb. 12 at 7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT.
Friedman added that Crosby’s decision rested on whether he believed he would be able to play to the standard he sets for himself.
“He does have a certain expectation for himself and he wants to believe that he can be at or near that level before he commits.”
In 55 games this season, Crosby leads the Penguins with 17 goals and 58 points.
It will be the first time he wears the Maple Leaf on his chest since the World Cup of Hockey back in 2016.
Canada’s first game is Wednesday against Sweden at Montreal’s Bell Centre. Live coverage throughout the tournament will be available on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+.
