“I love an opportunity like 4 Nations”: Sidney Crosby expresses his feelings about leading Canadian Men's Hockey in Milan Cortina

Canadian hockey icon Sidney Crosby is selected to lead the nation's men's hockey team at the upcoming 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milan-Cortina, Italy, reinforcing his status as one of the most prominent players in ice hockey.

As per reports, Crosby is at the helm of the nation's men's hockey team due to his experience. He is a two-time Olympic gold medallist and three-time Stanley Cup champion. According to the NHL, he was named Canada's captain for the 4 Nations Face-Off and had three assists in a 4-3 overtime win against Sweden in the opening game on Feb. 12. On March 27, 2025, Crosby secured his 20th season averaging at least a point per game. Sidney Crosby signed a two-year, $17.4 million contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

His contract also has an average annual value of $8.7 million, that begins in the 2025-26 season.

Sidney Crosby to lead Team Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Italy

The Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby is all set to lead Team Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milan Cortina, Italy. After scoring the memorable overtime “golden goal” to secure Canada’s 2010 Olympic title and helping deliver gold again in 2014, Crosby remains one of the most prominent and reliable players of Team Canada.

Speaking about his feelings after being the captain, and ahead of his game, Crosby stated, “I still love it.

I’m still able to compete in a game that’s getting faster and faster. I love an opportunity like 4 Nations to play for Canada, an opportunity this year to be part of the Olympic team. To see these guys up close and get to know them and see what makes them as good as they are, and get to know them on a personal level, that’s a lot of fun.

”The 2026 Olympic Games mark his first Olympics since 2014, as earlier, the league opted out of the 2018 Olympics for financial reasons, and the 2022 Games were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. As per TSN, the 38-year-old from Cole Harbour is a three-time Stanley Cup champion as captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins and owns an overcrowded trophy case, including most valuable player awards and scoring titles.Earlier, Team Canada faced a major setback after the Tampa Bay Lightning forwards Anthony Cirelli and Brayden Point were forced off the team due to injury and were reportedly replaced by Florida Panthers’ Sam Bennett and Carolina Hurricanes winger Seth Jarvis. Meanwhile, General Manager Doug Armstrong said that replacing players was difficult, but he and the management group believe Bennett and Jarvis give Canada the best chance to win.