Captains Crosby for Canada and Matthews for the US shoulder big tasks in the 4 Nations Face-Off
Captains Crosby for Canada and Matthews for the US shoulder big tasks in the 4 Nations Face-Off
FILE -Team Canada’s Sidney Crosby celebrates after scoring against Team Russia during the first period of a World Cup of Hockey semifinal game, Saturday, Sept. 24, 2016 in Toronto. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP, File)
USA’s Auston Matthews, center, celebrates his 4-2 goal during the 2016 IIHF World Junior Ice Hockey Championship match between USA and Canada in Helsinki, Finland Saturday, Dec. 26, 2015. (Roni Rekomaa/Lehtikuva via AP, File)
Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby skates behind the net during an NHL hockey game, Jan. 17, 2025, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes, File)
Toronto Maple Leafs Auston Matthews celebrates a goal as the Leafs take part in an outdoor practice at Toronto’s Prince of Wales rink, on Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. (Chris Young/The Canadian Press via AP)
FILE -Team Canada’s Sidney Crosby celebrates after scoring against Team Russia during the first period of a World Cup of Hockey semifinal game, Saturday, Sept. 24, 2016 in Toronto. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP, File)
FILE -Team Canada’s Sidney Crosby celebrates after scoring against Team Russia during the first period of a World Cup of Hockey semifinal game, Saturday, Sept. 24, 2016 in Toronto. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP, File)
USA’s Auston Matthews, center, celebrates his 4-2 goal during the 2016 IIHF World Junior Ice Hockey Championship match between USA and Canada in Helsinki, Finland Saturday, Dec. 26, 2015. (Roni Rekomaa/Lehtikuva via AP, File)
USA’s Auston Matthews, center, celebrates his 4-2 goal during the 2016 IIHF World Junior Ice Hockey Championship match between USA and Canada in Helsinki, Finland Saturday, Dec. 26, 2015. (Roni Rekomaa/Lehtikuva via AP, File)
Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby skates behind the net during an NHL hockey game, Jan. 17, 2025, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes, File)
Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby skates behind the net during an NHL hockey game, Jan. 17, 2025, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes, File)
Toronto Maple Leafs Auston Matthews celebrates a goal as the Leafs take part in an outdoor practice at Toronto’s Prince of Wales rink, on Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. (Chris Young/The Canadian Press via AP)
Toronto Maple Leafs Auston Matthews celebrates a goal as the Leafs take part in an outdoor practice at Toronto’s Prince of Wales rink, on Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. (Chris Young/The Canadian Press via AP)
Fifteen years after he scored the “Golden Goal” to deliver Canada an Olympic championship on home ice in Vancouver and 11 since he captained his country to another victory in Sochi, Sidney Crosby is taking on a familiar job for another international competition.
Crosby is reprising his role as Canada’s captain for the 4 Nations Face-Off taking place next month in Montreal and Boston, just as he did in 2014 and the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. Auston Matthews is the U.S. captain for the first time in his career after only earlier this year taking over that job with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Matthews does not expect to alter his leadership style, while Crosby — who has been captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins since he was 20 years old back in ’07 — understands that short international tournaments are a much different animal.
“There’s always a learning curve,” Crosby said on a video call with reporters Friday. “When you have a new group and you’re in a situation like that, the learning curve’s quick, so, you’ve got to take in as much information as you can. But ultimately everyone’s picked for a reason, they’re selected for what they bring, so you’ve got to be able to bring that and just find a way to be at your best right away.”
Since the world championships occur annually in the spring while the NHL’s Stanley Cup Playoffs are ongoing, and because the league did not participate in the past two Olympics, the 4 Nations is the first international tournament featuring the world’s best players since 2016. And even that World Cup had the asterisk of Team North America putting together the likes of Matthews, fellow American Jack Eichel and Canadians Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon — and keeping them from their national teams.
That changes this time, with Crosby, McDavid and MacKinnon all on the same roster for the first time.
“With our team, just the collection of guys, there hasn’t been much opportunity for this group to be together,” Crosby said. “Getting excited to get the guys together, to be in the same place, to practice and build.”
The first practices are Feb. 10, with games to follow quickly. There’s no training camp or time to reinvent the wheel, so Matthews figures he’ll continue doing what has worked for him with Toronto.
“I don’t need to step in there and be this rah-rah guy that maybe I’m not,” Matthews said. “That’s not really my style. I think I’m just going to approach it the same way I would approach it here (with the Maple Leafs) and be myself and support guys, encourage guys and just try to be the best that I can be out there.”
Crosby already has accomplished it all, winning the Stanley Cup three times and Olympic gold twice. He would like to make it three and three next year in Milan, but his first focus is on this tournament.
The break in the season comes at a good time, too, with he and the Penguins in last place and a sell-off possible ahead of the March 7 trade deadline.
“Whether you’ve won five in a row or you’re grinding to put wins together, this is something that for a long time we haven’t been able to do this, so I think everyone’s excited for that,” Crosby said. “Personally, I am, not specifically because we’ve been trying to grind ourselves here. That’s part of it, but if anything, hopefully that urgency and desperation and situation that we’re in will help going into the 4 Nations as far as just being at my best.”
The U.S. has not won a so-called “best-on-best” tournament since the 1996 World Cup of Hockey — a year before Matthews was born and long before he started playing the sport growing up in Arizona. The pressure is not all on him, but as captain he shoulders the important task of putting his team in the best position to succeed.
“It’s just important to build that chemistry, come together as a team,” Matthews said. “And it’s not going to be easy. Each team’s got some special players, and it’s going to be highly competitive. I think everybody has a lot of honor representing their countries, as well. I think everybody’s looking forward to the challenge and the opportunity that this presents.”
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