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CBC
18-02-2025
- Sport
- CBC
Virtue, Moir, Chan among Skate Canada Hall of Fame's elite 2025 class
Skate Canada announced an elite class of 2025 to its Hall of Fame on Tuesday led by two-time Olympic ice dance champions Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir and three-time men's world champion Patrick Chan. Kaetlyn Osmond, a women's world champion in 2018, and two-time pairs world champions Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford were also among the inductees. Virtue, of London, Ont., and Moir, of Ilderton, Ont., won ice dance gold at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics and 2018 Pyeongchang Games in South Korea. They also combined for eight Canadian titles and seven world championship medals (three gold, three silver, one bronze). Chan, from Ottawa, was the men's world champion for three consecutive years from 2011-13. He also won silver in 2009 and 2010. The 10-time Canadian champion took silver in the men's event at the 2014 Sochi Games. WATCH | Virtue, Moir reflect on iconic career: Tessa and Scott reflect on their partnership 5 years after retirement 1 year ago Duration 0:57 Canada's greatest figure-skating duo is now enshrined together forever into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame. We spoke to Tessa Virtue & Scott Moir about the honour. Osmond, a three-time Canadian champion from Marystown, N.L., also won an Olympic bronze in women's competition in 2018 and added a world championship silver in 2017. Duhamel, of Sudbury, Ont., and Radford, of Red Lake, Ont., combined to win seven national titles, two world titles and three Olympic medals spanning two Games. Chan, Osmond, Duhamel, Radford, Virtue and Moir were all members of Canada's team that won gold in the team event at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. Lyndon Johnston of Hamiota, Man., a pairs silver medallist at the 1989 world championships in Paris, was also named to the class of 2025. Longtime coaches Cynthia and Jan Ullmark and team doctor and chief medical officer Jane Moran were also named to the class.
New York Times
16-02-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
How Dylan Larkin lifted Team USA to its first best-on-best win over Canada since 2010
MONTREAL — Dylan Larkin sat down on a Delta regional jet Sunday for a short flight to Montreal and his latest chance to throw on that sharp, dark blue USA sweater. A game against Finland was still four days away, but the Detroit Red Wings captain couldn't help but look ahead to next Saturday night. Advertisement 'Team Canada. Bell Centre. Saturday night,' Larkin said, shaking his head. 'Can't wait. Gives ya goosebumps.' Sitting in Seat 2A, Larkin told a story about the first time he ever played at the Bell Centre against Canada. It was New Year's Eve 2014 in the 2015 World Junior Championship, where he shared the tournament lead with five goals. 'But we skated out before the game against Canada, and it was just a sea of red,' Larkin recalled. 'It was my first time playing in a sold-out NHL building, and I'll never forget that. It was very intimidating at the time. But I think now that I've got some experience playing in front of a big crowd, it won't be as intimidating.' Yeah, Larkin, 10 years older, sure wasn't intimidated Saturday night. One of the NHL's fastest skaters took Matt Boldy's quick up after a Sidney Crosby turnover, blazed up the ice and scored a tie-breaking, second-period goal that turned out to be the winner in a 3-1 win over Canada — the United States' first in a best-on-best tournament against Canada since Feb. 21, 2010 — the prelims of the Vancouver Olympics — to clinch a berth in Thursday night's 4 Nations Face-Off final at TD Garden in Boston. The game started with a bang with three fights in the first nine seconds, including Matthew and Brady Tkachuk challenging Brandon Hagel and Sam Bennett, respectively, before J.T. Miller dropped the gloves with Colton Parayko. It was incredible theater. 'That was one of the best experiences of my life,' Larkin, 28, said. 'Just an unbelievable hockey game. The Tkachuk brothers and Millsy, what a start, and credit to those guys for answering the bell. And the crowd, just a great night for our sport and a great night for this rivalry. So can't wait to get back to Boston and get on home soil.' BRANDON HAGEL AND MATTHEW TKACHUK DROP GLOVES AT PUCK DROP 😱 📺 ABC — ESPN (@espn) February 16, 2025 One player who's never intimidated by any stage he's on is Jake Guentzel. The Tampa Bay Lightning scorer from Woodbury, Minn., burst onto the scene during the 2016-17 season for Mike Sullivan's Pittsburgh Penguins and set single-postseason NHL records for goals and points by an American rookie. He's a two-time 40-goal scorer who has topped 20 goals eight times, and he scored the tying goal and added an empty-netter assisted by Larkin to now lead the tournament with three goals playing on a line with Auston Matthews and Jack Hughes. Advertisement 'Jake is a high-stakes player,' said Sullivan, who coaches Team USA. 'He plays his very best when it means the most and I don't think there's a stage big enough for him. He thrives in these types of environments.' After Connor McDavid's first-period goal, Guentzel tied the score 26 seconds after Charlie McAvoy, who played a sensational game, levied a monstrous hit on an unsuspecting McDavid. Larkin said that check had the same effect on the USA bench as the three fights in the first nine seconds. 'To not back down on the best player in the world, that sent a message for our team,' Larkin said. Larkin was so proud of the way his team played. The physicality; the staying on top of Canada's superstar players. Guys like Jaccob Slavin over and over defending McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon into hitting the brakes on offensive rushes. The way McAvoy used his great stick and heavy body to make life miserable for Canadians, including his Bruins teammate, Brad Marchand. The way Brock Faber settled down from a tough 4 Nations debut against Finland to be so good that he was thrown onto the ice while defending an extra attacker and a 2-1 lead. GO DEEPER How USA beat Canada to clinch berth in 4 Nations final: Takeaways 'You could tell they were getting frustrated,' Larkin said. Larkin hit the post earlier in the game and told himself next time he gets a chance he's shooting the puck and getting it on net. He did just that, letting one rip on a quick transition that beat Jordan Binnington. What are the chances, but when Larkin celebrated, he looked up into the corner of the lower bowl and spotted his entire family, especially his father, Kevin. 'I got to see my dad jump up. Honestly. Just probably one of the more special goals of my career,' Larkin said. How'd he see him? 'Well, he's got the whitest hair, so it was a pretty special moment,' Larkin said. Larkin loved how the Tkachuks and Miller dragged the Americans into the fight. Advertisement He didn't know the fights were going to come, but when he saw Matthew Tkachuk fight Hagel two seconds into the game, he knew Brady Tkachuk would be next. He was — a second later. 'I was like, 'Oh, there's no way that Brady doesn't get in the action here. There's just no way,'' Larkin said. 'I was the next shift after it. And I think our line went over and it was like, 'All right, let's play some hockey here. Let's get this game going.' I think it honestly almost kind of calmed it down, and then the speed of the game, the skill … the game, took off. 'Sitting on the bench, you almost have a little tingle, like, it's just such a great hockey game.' The United States, a roster put together by former USA Hockey star Bill Guerin, is deep and balanced. They're fast, they're skilled, they're big and physical. And they have the best three goaltenders, arguably, in the tournament on one roster. But they have so many big game players — guys like Guentzel, who does nothing but win and score. Larkin, in his 10th season, envies that because he hasn't made the playoffs since his rookie year in Detroit. 'There's no moment too big for him,' Larkin said. 'I never played with him before this tournament, and to get the chance to know him, he's such a nice guy and a humble guy and such a great player. He gets talked about as a complementary player, but he's someone that drives and he goes to the net, he goes to the hard area, he plays the right way. And when he gets the puck on a stick, he's deadly like he showed the last two games.' Larkin, the Red Wings' all-time goal-scoring leader among Americans, is a bona fide star himself. 'He's a special player,' former Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde said via text on Saturday night. 'He doesn't get enough credit for the player he is. He's a true star. A huge competitor.' Advertisement Monday's game against Sweden is essentially meaningless for the U.S. but means everything for Canada. If the United States beats Sweden and Canada beats Finland, Canada will get the rematch it so wants against the United States in Thursday's final. But Matthew Tkachuk sat out the last 12 1/2 minutes of Saturday's game with a lower-body injury, so perhaps the Americans hold him out to allow time to heal for Thursday's championship game. Saturday's win will mean nothing if they don't win Thursday. Remember, in 2010, nobody remembers the Americans' win against Canada in the prelims. They just remember Crosby's golden goal in overtime in the gold-medal game. So Larkin and the Americans know they have to finish this thing off. 'Tonight, I was thinking about kids watching that game, and what kind of message that was, like the work ethic, the compete, you know, guys blocking shots,' Larkin said. 'I hope kids are watching that like I was as a kid and wanting so badly to put that jersey on in the next generation. 'I knew this one would be special, and then to score the game winner and see the way we played and just the game itself, it was just a great, great atmosphere, great hockey game. 'But we're still building. That was the message after. The Sweden game's an important game. Like every team here, they're dangerous. And we need to just continue to build and build for the championship.'
New York Times
14-02-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
LeBrun: Canada vs. USA rivalry enters new era with same intensity
MONTREAL — It is almost 15 years to the day. Feb. 21, 2010. Vancouver Olympics. Team USA 5, Team Canada 3. Why is that score relevant? It was Team Canada's last loss in best-on-best hockey, a span of 17 games through the final four games of the Vancouver Olympics, the 2014 Sochi Olympics (6-0-0), the 2016 World Cup (6-0-0) and Wednesday's opening win over Sweden in 4 Nations Face-Off. Advertisement 'They've not lost since then?' Zach Parise asked Friday. 'I did not know that. That's crazy.' I don't think the former Team USA star is alone in not knowing that. Thanks to an eight-and-a-half-year drought without a best-on-best hockey tournament, it's pretty easy to forget these things. So yes, Team USA is trying to snap quite the best-on-break streak for Team Canada when they meet Saturday night in a 4 Nations round-robin game at what should be a charged-up Bell Centre. 'I hadn't even thought about that to be honest. That's pretty impressive,'' Drew Doughty, who has been part of it entirely, said Friday about the 17-game win streak for Team Canada in best-on-best. 'But we don't want it to stop there. Let's keep it going. We want to win out the tournament. That's the goal always. The U.S. represents a tough challenge.' Scott Niedermayer was Team Canada's captain when that 17-win streak began back in Vancouver. 'That's impressive,'' the Hockey Hall of Famer defenseman said Friday. 'Especially with the idea that the U.S. is strong and they do have good players and some of the other countries as well. So that makes that really impressive, actually.'' And as Niedermayer was quick to point out, it more or less parallels Sidney Crosby's amazing streak. He's 22-0 as Team Canada captain dating back to the start of the Sochi Olympics (which includes World Championships as well). 'The record of Team Canada with him leading the charge, it doesn't get any better, obviously,' marvelled Niedermayer. But here comes Team USA, which on Thursday night snapped a five-game losing streak in best-on-best dating back to Sochi and the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. This is a new generation of Team USA stars looking to open up an era full of their own championships and gold medals. And knock down Team Canada a peg in doing so. Advertisement Two powerhouses colliding Saturday night — and maybe again next Thursday in Boston in the championship game. 'It's a hockey game you love to be part of,' Crosby said Friday of the USA-Canada rivalry. Two-time Olympic champion Chris Pronger points all the way back to the 1991 Canada Cup for when the USA-Canada hockey rivalry truly began to take shape. That year, the U.S. reached that tournament's final for the first time before losing to Canada. All of which set up the next best-on-best event, where the U.S. won the re-branded World Cup of Hockey in 1996. Pronger played in both the 2002 Salt Lake City and 2010 Vancouver gold medal games. Which one stands out the most for him? 'Probably 2010 because they beat us in the round-robin and there was a lot of maybe swelled heads on their side, thinking that they were going to run roughshod over us as we found our solid footing and figured out how we needed to play and come together as a unit,' Pronger said. 'I thought for the most part we dominated that gold medal game and had the better of the chances.' Ryan Miller was unbelievable throughout that Olympic tournament in 2010 for that underdog Team USA squad that came oh-so-close to the upset, losing in overtime on Crosby's golden goal. That Olympic performance was one of those career-defining moments for Miller. That's how stellar he was. 'It was a great tournament,' Miller said of the experience. 'Everyone remembers Sid, and rightly so, capping off the tournament. What's funny is that, over the years, we ended up training in California. There was a little bit of a bond behind the scenes where he's really classy about everything, right? There's a lot of respect between the two of us. That was a cool part of that.'' But USA-Canada on that stage? Nothing like it. 'You want to compete against the best in sport,' said Miller, the former Buffalo Sabres star goalie. 'I had a chance to do that in a number of situations, but obviously that one was probably the best chance to play against the best that Canada had to offer. Advertisement 'I'm still proud of it, but still angry, too.' It was Parise who tied it late for Team USA, stunning the home Vancouver crowd and sending it to overtime. What a moment right then and there for Parise in his career. 'From an individual standpoint, that was probably the coolest moment in my career,' he said. 'Just with the importance of the game. It's the Olympics, you know what I mean? Just to give ourselves a chance (in overtime) and go in that locker room. You never know, next goal wins. 'We were right there. Unfortunately for us, we were right there. But what an awesome game to be a part of.' He remembers all of it so vividly. 'Obviously, the gold medal game didn't go our way. But that gold medal game was incredible,' said Parise. 'I remember the pace of the game. It's just so different than the (Stanley Cup playoffs), it's one and done. You could just feel the importance of every play that was made. The fans are on the edge of their seats the whole game. It was unbelievable. It was one of the few days in my career where you go in there and you're genuinely nervous the whole game. At least for me. All game long.' While Niedermayer takes great pride in captaining Canada to that gold medal — in his native province of British Columbia, no less — he is quick to point out his first best-on-best experience against Team USA was the 1996 World Cup. 'Just a few months ago I watched a few highlights of what that looked like, and man, it was a competition at the very least, wow,' Niedermayer said with a chuckle while recalling what a physical, brawling best-of-three final that was. 'But the U.S.-Canada rivalry, maybe growing up it was Russia-Canada, but for my playing career and currently, it's definitely the rivalry,' added Niedermayer. 'Probably the two best hockey nations. Lots of talent on both rosters. I'm looking forward to it (Saturday night) as a fan for sure.' Advertisement The '96 World Cup win for USA Hockey had a lasting impact, to be sure. It was the first time the U.S. felt realistically on the same level as Team Canada at best-on-best. Miller's 2010 silver medallists brought back some of those same feelings, too, as far as the next generation of American stars announcing themselves. That helped pave the way for this current squad. 'I'm glad this generation now has grown up having so much success in World Juniors and Under-18s and we've been waiting a long time to see some of these guys play best-on-best,' said Miller. 'So, I'm excited to see it. I'm happy for them. And I'm glad the NHL and NHLPA have come to some agreements about continuing to see the best play each other. Finally.' As Pronger pointed out, with back-to-back World Juniors gold medals, USA Hockey is on a roll. 'The American game, if you will, has taken on a whole new level,' said the Hockey Hall of Famer. 'It's great for fans and it's great for Canada having another challenge outside of what was always Canada-Russia.' Pronger, based in St. Louis, has seen the growth of USA Hockey firsthand. 'Oh absolutely. It's crazy to see the evolution,' he said. 'And obviously now, with the Tkachuks and the players on the U.S. side and the lineage of the parents, and where players are coming from, Auston Matthews from Phoenix and seeing that southern expansion era of player coming to the forefront now for the U.S. and what it means for the game. And it certainly means a lot for the players.' It's next-level time for Team USA. 'I mean, the talent level has just taken off,' said Parise. 'I remember when people would always make a big deal of the Canadian teams, like Rick Nash being on a checking line. They had a 50-goal scorer on a checking line. You look at it now, the U.S. has really good players that are playing fourth-line roles. So we've closed that gap. We've caught up. And I think it says a lot for American hockey. It's awesome.'' Advertisement Doughty says bring it on. 'The rivalry is real,' the two-time Olympic champion said Friday. 'The rivalry with the United States was developed from when I was 8 years old because you start going to play tournaments in Michigan and places around the U.S. and immediately you're kind of taught, 'Don't lose to the Americans.' So that rivalry goes back far. It doesn't stop. 'Even at 35, I want to beat them more than anyone.' (Photo from 2010 Olympics: Cris Bouroncle / Getty Images)
CBC
12-02-2025
- Sport
- CBC
Grassroots participation in Canadian hockey slowly beginning to rebound from pandemic, scandal
Jesse Wang is already thinking about tomorrow's playoff game. "Kind of nervous," said the 10-year-old who plays in the Whitby Minor Hockey Association (WMHA). "We won last week's playoff. Now we're in this week's game. We have to win in order to get into the semi-finals." His team was the best in the league midway through the regular season, Wang explains, but it eventually fell to third place and now its championship hopes teeter one game at a time. Asked about his scoring prowess, Wang pauses — he has three goals this season, he thinks. "Hockey builds good relationships," he says later when asked about his favourite part of the sport. "It's not just about you being good. It's about the whole team's progress and skills. If you are the only good one, [but] rest of the team is bad, you still can't win a game." Wang started playing hockey two years ago through First Shift, a program run by the NHL and NHLPA which endeavours to remove barriers by providing equipment, ice time and skill development at affordable rates. His sister Evelyn, 6, just began skating in a learn-to-play program called Hockey For All, which was developed by the WMHA and provided free head-to-toe equipment and on-ice sessions. Both Wang siblings have taken a swift liking to hockey. They plan to continue playing hockey next season and their favourite team is the Edmonton Oilers thanks to Connor McDavid. Beginning Wednesday, they'll be able to watch McDavid suit up for Team Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off in Montreal. The tournament should make an interesting test for Canada, which failed to medal at either of the past two world juniors and owns just one bronze to show for the past two Olympic men's tournaments. A small, yet vital, element toward a return to consistent podium finishes lies in the grassroots. The 4 Nations Face-Off is a big deal for hockey fans, and the puck drops in Montreal 2 days ago Duration 2:24 The Bell Centre is the first of two venues, hosting most of the world's biggest hockey stars as they play for their country in a best-on-best tournament for the first time in nearly a decade. The early success story of the Wang siblings represents a mindset shift among minor-hockey administrators that took place in the wake of the pandemic and has led to increasing registration numbers in five years since that have restored the sport to pre-pandemic totals. The high-water mark for nationwide minor-hockey registration was 2011 — perhaps due in part to the Vancouver Olympics the year prior. The numbers, according to Ontario Minor Hockey Association executive director Ian Taylor, then went flat before plummeting in 2020. "For the first time ever, we, as minor hockey, had to promote our sport — and I'll go so far as to say sell our sport. For years and years and years, [a] local minor hockey association says 'registration time' and everyone lines up and it's just an automatic rite of passage," Taylor said. "But for the first time we had to talk about our sport, talk about the benefits of being in sport in general, but then in hockey specifically, and also reach out to different communities." Registration rebounding slowly since pandemic In 2019, more than 500,000 boys were registered for minor hockey in Canada. One year later, the number dropped under 375,000. In the years since, registration has slowly risen once again, and in 2023 it was nearly back to the pre-pandemic level. The numbers in Ontario follow a similar pattern, but there is one outlier — the number of self-identifying ethnic players in 2024 is nearly double that of 2020, and has risen at a faster rate than the general population. Taylor credits the OMHA's 'Hockey is Fun' campaign — which was distributed in Punjabi and Mandarin as well as English, and borne of the need to rethink how minor hockey is marketed — for the successful reintegration of hockey. Wei Wang, Jesse and Evelyn's mother, didn't know how to answer Jesse when he came home from school one day asking about playing hockey. Coming from a Chinese background, Wei said she had no experience in winter sports. "And then I think, we have [a] nice neighbour Rahim and so Jesse, maybe we can ask Rahim because we saw his son has a big hockey bag," she said. Turns out Rahim Karmali is the coordinator of hockey development for the WMHA and the coach of his son's rep team. "As a minority myself, I moved to Whitby a while ago and it wasn't as multicultural as it is now. So I think growth of the game is gonna happen with investing in families that are new to the country, right? So we're happy to provide this opportunity to families like them," Karmali said. Still, the OMHA, WMHA and other organizations across Canada cannot simply sit back, count the past few years as a win and move back into complacency. "I would argue that we're going in the right direction, but we're not growing, especially at a time when our population base, our denominator, is really growing so much faster too," said Jessica Fraser-Thomas, an associate professor at York University whose work focuses on youth development through sport. Fraser-Thomas said four main factors affected registration numbers over the past 15 years: the Vancouver Olympics, Sidney Crosby's concussion issues, the pandemic and the recent Hockey Canada scandal. Another constant has been increasing cost, especially as the pandemic drove up the price of living. She said the 'Hockey is Fun' campaign addresses most of those issues. "I think all of those things really hit on some of the issues that we've seen in the past, whether it's too time consuming, it's too costly, it's not safe. So sort of addressing those fears and anxieties of parents," she said. One thing that is clearly laid out in the parents guide is where fees are distributed — a topic that became relevant when it was revealed that Hockey Canada was keeping a slush fund to handle sexual assault claims. 'We'll never go back to the old process' "We'll never go back to the old process where we just expect people to show up. It's going to be a continual effort. But I think that communication is a big part of it. People want to know where their money goes and what's involved. And certainly in today's day and age, there's an expectation of that," Taylor said. As for cost, Taylor said the high expense is somewhat inherent given the OMHA does not own rinks and must rent ice time. "Is the next Sidney Crosby not able to play because of cost? Maybe," Taylor said. Fraser-Thomas said publicizing some costs — even if they are averages, which can be misleading depending on your specific location — can help keep organizations accountable. "There are always averages and norms when they are published, but that sort of challenges sport organizations to say maybe we're not as accessible as we pitch ourselves to be and how can we do better?" The cost barrier may disproportionately affect some communities more than others. Fraser-Thomas said the Punjabi and Mandarin translations are a step in the right direction, though the organization could still go further in representation among girls, disabled persons and other ethnic minorities. "I think we need to do better at not patting ourselves on the back when we have a small program that is built for a specific group, but do better at doing inclusion right across our normative sport organizations," Fraser-Thomas said. The goal is to have fun Now, the goal is to ensure players return to the ice season after season. "It sounds very cliche but all the studies tell us the No. 1 reason why people participate is to have fun, No. 1 reason they leave it's because they weren't having fun," Taylor said. Fraser-Thomas agreed with the assessment, naming competence, motivation and social enjoyment as three key areas for retention. One element of that is the volunteers and coaches who set the tone from the bench or during on-ice skills sessions. "That's kind of my mantra right now, have a great time, come back. And when everyone at the end of the year is talking about wins and losses, one of the metrics we want to talk about is how many kids came back," Taylor said. In that case, Jesse and Evelyn Wang represent two victories. "We do not have any background about hockey, but after we joined the program we learned a lot and I think it's a good opportunity for newcomers," Wei Wang said.
New York Times
30-01-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Canada names Sidney Crosby captain for 4 Nations: Why he was the pick and notable omissions
Captain Canada is Captain Crosby. In what was arguably the easiest decision team management and the coaching staff had to make ahead of next month's 4 Nations Face-Off, Team Canada officially named Sidney Crosby as its captain for the tournament on Thursday afternoon. The man who scored the Golden Goal at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics previously wore his country's 'C' at the past two best-on-best international events: The 2014 Sochi Games and 2016 World Cup of Hockey, both of which were won by Canada. Advertisement Not only is Crosby the NHL's longest-tenured captain — he's held that honor with the Pittsburgh Penguins for more than 17 years, and counting — but he's also among Canada's most decorated international hockey players of all-time. The country is 45-5-0 in games when he's worn the sweater. Crosby's resume includes two Olympic gold medals, a gold from the IIHF World Hockey Championship, a gold at the World Junior Championship and a World Cup title. He was also named MVP of the 2016 World Cup tournament. So while Crosby may have ceded the unofficial title of 'best player on the planet' to Connor McDavid in recent years, there was no serious discussion about anyone else taking the captaincy for the Feb. 12 to 20 tournament. McDavid, named an alternate captain along with Cale Makar, made sure of that. 'It should be Sid. It should be Sid for sure,' McDavid told reporters in October when asked about Canada's captaincy decision. 'That's not even a question. It's just how it should be. He's Sidney Crosby and he's been there so many times and he's the guy. It's not like I thought about it a lot, it's just such a no-brainer.' There was nothing ceremonial or nostalgic about the Crosby choice. At age 37, he'll be the oldest participant in the 4 Nations Face-Off field, but he remains an incredibly impactful player with 55 points in 53 games for the Penguins on the season. That includes scoring the overtime winner in Utah on Wednesday night. Crosby's current rate of production puts him on pace to become the first NHLer ever with 20 consecutive point-per-game campaigns, which would break a record he currently shares with Wayne Gretzky at 19. Among active Canadian players, his 1,651 career points are nearly 500 more than anybody else. Steven Stamkos (1,170 points) is No. 2 on that list and he didn't receive a 4 Nations invite. Advertisement McDavid owns the next-highest total among Crosby's Canadian teammates with 1,048 career points — including 21 goals and 66 points in 44 games this season. He will likely take the mantle as the next Canadian captain once Crosby's playing career is finished. McDavid is in his ninth season serving as Edmonton Oilers captain and won the Conn Smythe Trophy in a losing cause last spring after leading his team to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final. Makar is the youngest member of the leadership group at age 26. He's a former Conn Smythe winner himself — in 2022 when the Colorado Avalanche lifted the Cup — and he was the only defenseman included among Canada's initial six roster selections in June. He wears an 'A' for the Avalanche and has drawn comparisons to Bobby Orr while compiling 392 points through 367 career NHL games. He's likely to log the most minutes of any of the Canadian skaters at the 4 Nations Face-Off. There's no shortage of Canadian players who wear letters with their NHL teams, including present-day captains Brad Marchand of the Boston Bruins and Mark Stone of the Vegas Golden Knights. Marchand was also included in Canada's initial six roster invites. Among the other team members who wear an alternate captain's 'A' in the NHL are Nathan MacKinnon (Colorado), Colton Parayko (St. Louis Blues), Josh Morrissey (Winnipeg Jets) and Travis Konecny (Philadelphia Flyers). Alex Pietrangelo would also have drawn serious consideration to serve as one of Canada's alternate captains due to his extensive international experience and Stanley Cup-winning pedigree, but he withdrew from the tournament last week because of an ailment.
