Crosby to Captain Canada at 4 Nations, Karlsson Alternate for Sweden

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.”

Meanwhile, Karlsson joins a leadership group for Sweden that includes Victor Hedman as captain, with William Nylander and Mattias Ekholm as the other alternates.

“It’s obviously a huge honor,” Karlsson said. “It feels great. Excited about it. It’s been a while since any nation put the best team forward. So, it's going to be an interesting one to play, and I think we're all looking forward to it equally as much.”

Karlsson has bonded with his fellow Swedes here in Pittsburgh, forming a soccer tennis crew with Rickard Rakell and Marcus Pettersson. But nothing beats having a whole team full of your countrymen, something Karlsson did most most recently at the 2024 World Championship, captaining his team to a bronze medal.

He’s also medaled with Team Sweden at the 2014 Olympic Games (silver), the 2010 World Championship (bronze), 2009 World Junior Championship (silver). He led all players in points and was named the “Best Defenseman” at the Olympics in 2014.

“It's going to be a fun tournament, and it's going to be fun to hang out with the Swedish crew again and talk some Swedish and eat some Swedish candy and just hang out. So, I think it's long overdue,” Karlsson said. “There's a lot of guys that haven't been able to play best on best, so I think they're excited about playing with all the guys that you play against and watch, especially from your own nation. It’s going to be fun playing against other teams as well, when they have their best players.”

As for Team USA, Toronto’s Auston Matthews will wear the C, with Florida’s Matthew Tkachuk and Boston’s Charlie McAvoy set to be the A’s. Sullivan acknowledged that like all of the countries competing at this tourmanent, when you look at the assembled groups, there’s a lot of guys who could have letters.

When it comes to the three players who will for Team USA, Sullivan said that they're different types of personalities, first and foremost.

“Austin isn't so much a rah-rah guy, but he leads by example with the way plays the game, and that might be the best way leadership manifests itself in team sport,” Sullivan said. “I think Charlie and Matthew are two guys that are going to drag us into the fight. So, they're vocal guys. They're emotional guys. I think they'll be two guys that will carry that torch for us, but it doesn't end there. Certainly, we're excited about these guys leading the group, but they're going to have a lot of help with some of the people that are on that roster."

More information about the 4 Nations Face-Off can be found here.