![\"Sidney](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/sidcanada-e1770574008679.jpg\")
Sidney Crosby. Photo credit: Team Canada\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSidney Crosby. Photo credit: Team Canada\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
The news Sunday was so heavily expected that it seems many had assumed it had already happened. Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby was named Team Canada captain for the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics.<\/p>\n
Members of the Canadian hockey team arrived in Italy on Sunday, according to several reports and videos.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s an honor to be named captain of Canada\u2019s men\u2019s hockey team, which has so many great players and leaders,\u201d Crosby<\/a> said in a statement released by Team Canada.<\/p>\n Crosby, 38, will serve as captain for the second time at the Olympics. He captained the 2014 team to a gold medal in Sochi. That was after Team Canada eye-poppingly left Crosby, then an NHL rookie, off its 2006 Olympic roster. That team finished a disappointing seventh, its lowest finish ever.<\/p>\n He then cemented his incredible legacy in international hockey and Canadian lore when he scored the golden goal in 2010 in Vancouver, giving his home country the gold medal with a clinching overtime goal against the United States.<\/p>\n After that, it seemed almost silly to name anyone else captain of Team Canada. However, the NHL skipped the next two Winter Games after 2014. Now the NHLers are back, and Crosby, a native of Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia, is once again the captain.<\/p>\n Crosby has served as captain of the Penguins since he was 19 years old. He has displayed all the qualities of one of the all-time great leaders in hockey, including leading his team to three Stanley Cups. He has long been a respected ambassador for the sport, and testimonials from teammates, coaches, and executives about his leadership qualities on and off the ice could fill a book.<\/p>\n His alternate captains for the 2026 Games are forward Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers and defenseman Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche. They, along with Colorado\u2019s Nathan MacKinnon, might have seemed to be candidates to captain Canada at the Milan Cortina Games.<\/p>\n But there was hardly a choice. Last winter, when the NHL staged the 4 Nations Face-Off, Crosby captained Canada <\/a>to the win, with McDavid beforehand making it clear who his choice for the \u2018C\u2019 was, that it was not time for a passing of the torch to McDavid.<\/p>\n \u201cIt should be Sid. It should be Sid for sure. That\u2019s not even a question,\u201d McDavid said. \u201cIt\u2019s just how it should be. He\u2019s Sidney Crosby, and he\u2019s been there so many times, and he\u2019s the guy. It\u2019s not like I thought about it a lot. It\u2019s just such a no-brainer.\u201d<\/p>\n McDavid and Makar were the alternate captains for the 4 Nations, too.<\/p>\n Team Canada planned its first practice in Italy later Sunday. Its first game is Thursday against Czechia in the preliminary round.<\/p>\n Crosby is one of four Penguins at the Olympics. The others are defenseman Erik Karlsson and winger Rickard Rakell for Sweden \u2014 with Karlsson being named an alternate captain on Sunday \u2014 and goaltender Arturs Silovs for Latvia. Sweden opens play Wednesday against Italy. Latvia opens Thursday against the United States.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tTags: 2026 Olympics<\/a> Pittsburgh Penguins<\/a> Shelly Anderson<\/a> Sidney Crosby<\/a> <\/p>\n