LAS VEGAS -- It's been quite some time since Sidney Crosby last wore the red and white Team Canada jersey in any kind of international tournament.
Crosby hasn't played for Canada since the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, the NHL-sanctioned competition that took place prior to the start of the 2016-17 regular season. A 29-year-old Crosby captained Canada to gold, winning tournament MVP as well as the scoring title.
Crosby, who turns 37 this summer, will have the opportunity to play for Canada at least one more time. Hockey Canada on Friday announced the first six players for its 4 Nations Face-Off roster, and Crosby was named to the roster along with Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, Brad Marchand, Connor McDavid and Brayden Point. The full rosters for the tournament will be finalized between Nov. 29 and Dec. 2, and the tournament will be held Feb. 12-20 in Montreal and Boston. More details can be found here.
"There's a lot of excitement having the opportunity to represent Canada," Crosby said in a virtual media availability on Friday. "Best on best, it's been a while since we had the opportunity to do that."
Beyond just the honor of getting to play for his country in any capacity, Crosby is excited about getting to play with some of his countrymen he either hasn't played with ever before, or hasn't in a long time. Half of the six players announced today are from Nova Scotia -- Marchand, MacKinnon and himself. He's only played with Marchand twice before in the 2016 World Cup and 2015 World Championship, and with MacKinnon just once in the 2015 World Championship. He said he "won't be lobbying for anything" as far as a potential all-Nova Scotia line goes, but he'd welcome the opportunity, and said that he and MacKinnon have already had line combination discussions between themselves.
"We were on a golf trip, and (MacKinnon) brought it up, I think it was day one. He was just kind of picking my brain," Crosby said. "I don't know how the lines are going to shake out, but having the the chance to play with him at the Worlds in 2015 was a lot of fun, and it's been a while since then. I think if you talk to all the guys who got named today, I'm sure they're really excited."
I asked Crosby who he's looking forward to playing with for the first time on an international stage."
"You look at a guy like Cale (Makar)," Crosby said. "He's somebody that playing against him, just knowing how deceptive he is, the way he skates, that's a guy I play with a little bit at the All-Star Game and saw a little glimpse of it. He's a guy that comes to mind."
This is a bit of a different kind of international tournament. It's only between Canada, the U.S., Finland and Sweden, and only NHL players are allowed to participate. It's an NHL-sanctioned event meant to replace the NHL All-Star Game every four years. And while the All-Star Game has turned into a bit of a snooze fest in recent years, this tournament is expected to be competitive. It's not the Olympics, it's not the World Championship, but guys are still playing for their country. Crosby isn't taking the tournament lightly.
"Anytime you get to represent Canada, to play against some of the best players in the world, play with some of the best, I think the competitiveness in you, I think you want to be at your best," Crosby said. "You want to take advantage of the opportunity. And I think especially given the fact that we haven't been able to do this in a long time, I think makes you appreciate it a little bit more. And you know, obviously, I'm not getting any younger. So I think you you appreciate these opportunities more and more as you go along."
He's hoping another opportunity to play for Canada isn't too far in the distance.
The NHL is returning to the Olympics, starting with the 2026 games in Italy. Crosby has been to two Olympics -- scoring the golden goal in 2010 and then captaining Canada to gold in 2014 -- and he hopes to head back for a third time in Italy.
"It's still a ways away," he said. "I'd love to be part of that. I've had great experiences playing in the Olympics in the past, and would love the opportunity to do it again. It's super competitive. You look at just how tight it is with every country. It'd be a great product and great hockey."
The word Crosby used to describe his summer so far is "long." The Penguins were on the sidelines watching the postseason for a second consecutive season, and he's ready to get going again.
"Watching the playoffs, I think you start to get pretty motivated when you see just the intensity and the level of play that it takes," he said. "Especially with every round and watching the Final and just how great hockey it was."
Crosby might have some business to take care of first, though. His contract extension that he signed in the summer of 2012 is entering its last season. He's not eligible to sign a new extension until July 1, when the new season begins. Kyle Dubas has refused to comment on talks with Crosby any time he's been asked over the last few months, always saying that he prefers to keep things quiet between himself and Crosby. Crosby feels the same way.
There's been a little bit of talk with the draft and free agency and stuff like that," he said. "You know, it's something that I'll keep between Kyle and I. But we've had some conversations and I'll just kind of leave it at that."
I asked Crosby if he's hoping to at least get the deal done this summer, before next season, and he grinned and said, "We'll see. We'll see what happens."
