Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche and Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers are among the first six players named to Team Canada for the 2025 Four Nations Showdown on Friday.
Canada, the United States, Sweden and Finland will participate in the tournament, scheduled for February 12-20 at TD Garden in Boston and the Bell Centre in Montreal.
“There’s obviously a lot of excitement to represent Canada to the best of your ability,” Crosby said. “It’s been a long time since we’ve had the opportunity to do that. I think if you talk to all the guys that were nominated today, I’m sure they’re all excited. It’s been a long time.”
They will be joined by Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar and forwards Brad Marchand (Boston Bruins) and Brayden Point (Tampa Bay Lightning). The rest of the roster, which will consist of 23 NHL players (20 skaters, three goalies), will be announced later this year.
Crosby led the Penguins with 94 points (42 goals, 52 assists) in 82 games. It was the 19th season that the 36-year-old forward averaged at least 1.00 points per game, tying Wayne Gretzky for the highest mark in NHL history.
A three-time Stanley Cup champion (2009, 2016, 2017), Crosby is 10th all-time with 1,596 points (592 goals, 1,004 assists) in 1,272 games since being drafted by the Penguins with the first 2005 NHL pick. Draft. Among his honors, the Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia native won the Hart Trophy as NHL Most Valuable Player twice (2006-07, 2013-14), the Art Ross Trophy as top scorer in the League twice (2006-07, 2013). -14) and the Conn Smythe Trophy as Most Valuable Player in the Stanley Cup Playoffs twice (2016, 2017).
MacKinnon finished second in the NHL this season with 140 points (51 goals, 89 assists) in 82 games and won the Hart Trophy and Ted Lindsay Award, given to the most outstanding player as voted on by the NHL Players’ Association. The 28-year-old forward from Halifax, N.S., also had 14 points (four goals, 10 assists) in 11 playoff games.
Since being selected first overall by the Avalanche in the 2013 NHL Draft, MacKinnon has 899 points (335 goals, 564 assists) in 791 regular-season games and 114 points (48 goals, 66 assists) in 88 playoff games. That includes 24 points (13 goals, 11 assists) in 20 games to help the Avalanche win the Stanley Cup in 2022.
MacKinnon recently said he and Crosby talked about line combinations and the possibility of playing on the same line.
“We were on a golf trip and he mentioned it,” Crosby said. “I think it was the first day. He was just giving me a little thought. … To have the chance to play with him at the 2015 World Championship was a lot of fun. And it’s been a long time since then.”
McDavid tied Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov for the NHL lead with 100 assists; They are the first players to have at least 100 assists in a season since Gretzky (122) in 1990-91. McDavid finished third in the league with 132 points, the seventh time in nine NHL seasons that he reached 100 points.
The 27-year-old from Richmond Hill, Ont., also led the NHL with 42 points (eight goals, 34 assists) in 25 playoff games to help the Oilers reach the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 2006. He became the sixth player to win the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP of a losing team. McDavid’s 34 assists were the most by a player in a single playoff series, and the most points since Mario Lemieux had 44 (16 goals, 28 assists) in 23 games with the Penguins in 1991.
Since being selected by the Oilers first overall in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, McDavid has recorded 982 points (335 goals, 647 assists) in 645 regular season games and 117 points (37 goals, 80 assists). in 74 playoff games. He has won the Hart Trophy three times (2016-2017, 2020-2021, 2022-2023) and is a finalist for the award this season.
“And the fact that we know a little bit more in advance (about our roster), and it’s something we can talk about and prepare for a little bit,” Crosby said. “I think guys are excited to get ready for the season, but also motivated to know that it’s something they can be a part of, I think it’s great for everybody.”
Makar finished second among NHL defensemen with 90 points (21 goals, 69 assists) in 77 games this season and 15 points (five goals, 10 assists) in 11 playoff games.
The 25-year-old, born in Calgary, was a finalist for the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s best defenseman for a fourth consecutive season. he won the award in 2021–22, the same season he also won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP when the Avalanche won the Stanley Cup. His 29 points (eight goals, 21 assists) in 20 games led the playoffs and set a record for Quebec Avalanche/Nordiques defensemen.
Selected by the Avalanche in the first round (4th) of the 2017 NHL Draft, Makar had 336 points (86 goals, 250 assists) in 315 regular season games and 80 points (21 goals, 59 assists) in 72 games playoffs.
Marchand, in his first season as Bruins captain, finished second on the team with 67 points (29 goals, 38 assists) in 82 regular-season games, and had 10 points (three goals, seven assists) in 11 playoff games.
The 36-year-old forward, born in Halifax, N.S., has 929 points (401 goals, 528 assists) in 1,029 regular-season games and 138 points (56 goals, 82 assists) in 157 playoff games. That includes 19 points (11 goals, eight assists) in 25 games to help the Bruins win the Stanley Cup in 2011. Boston selected him in the third round (71st overall) of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft.
Point finished second on the Lightning with 90 points (46 goals, 44 assists) in 81 regular-season games and had five points (two goals, three assists) in five playoff games.
The 28-year-old Calgary native was selected by the Lightning in the third round (79th overall) of the 2014 NHL Draft, and has 553 points (264 goals, 289 assists) in 580 regular season games and 87 points (42 goals, 45 assists) in 87 playoff games. This includes a total of 56 points (28 goals, 28 assists) in 46 games to help the Lighting win the Stanley Cup in 2020 and 2021.
Don Sweeney of the Boston Bruins is Canada’s general manager and Jon Cooper of the Tampa Bay Lightning will be the coach.
Canada will face Sweden at the Bell Centre on February 12, the United States at the Bell Centre on February 15 and Finland at TD Garden on February 17.