Before Friday’s practice began, Head Coach Mike Sullivan gathered the Penguins to acknowledge Sidney Crosby being named captain for Canada and Erik Karlsson being named an alternate captain for Sweden at the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off. The announcement was met with stick taps from the group.
“We're certainly proud of those guys,” said Sullivan, who will be behind the bench for Team USA at the tournament. “I think it speaks volumes for the character of the individuals, and the respect that they have from their peers in their relative countries. I can't say I'm surprised. I'm not. I know what they do for our team.
“So, that's a proud day for the Penguins, because I think it speaks volumes of the types of people that we have in our dressing room. For me, that's a proud moment for all of us.”
Back in October, Connor McDavid called it a “no brainer” that Crosby should wear the ‘C’ for their group.
“It should be Sid. It should be Sid for sure, that’s not even a question,” the Edmonton Oilers center said. “It’s just how it should be. He’s Sidney Crosby and he’s been there so many times, and he’s the guy.”
That sentiment is shared by the entire hockey world, especially considering what Crosby has accomplished at the international level: he has won two Olympic gold medals (2010, ’14), serving as an alternate captain in 2010 and captain for the 2014 squad. He scored the gold-medal-winning overtime goal against the United States at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games on his native soil in Vancouver, BC, which has since been dubbed “The Golden Goal”.
Crosby has also won gold medals in the World Cup of Hockey (2016), World Championship (2015) and World Junior Championship (2005). He is the 26th player ever to join the Triple Gold Club, which is winning the Stanley Cup and gold medals at the Olympic Games and the World Championship. He is the only member of the 30-player club to captain all three of his teams to their respective titles.
That all being said, Crosby is someone who never takes anything for granted, especially as he progresses along in his Hall of Fame career. So, the 37-year-old called it an honor, and it just adds to the anticipation of representing Canada internationally for the first time since the World Cup of Hockey in 2016.
“I think that when you're part of groups like this, you appreciate the fact that there's a lot of guys who are captains or assistant captains on their own clubs. There's no shortage of leadership whatsoever,” Crosby said. “But I think just the responsibility and being part of that group is something I'm excited for, especially in this scenario, too, where it's a lot of new guys. I think that's something that we've got a lot of guys who are excited, but also that's something that we can build right away. So yeah, I'm excited for that.”