Sidney Crosby is among the greatest hockey players ever, both in the NHL with the Pittsburgh Penguins and internationally with Team Canada. Although his time with the Penguins hasn’t been as great as he’d like over the past few seasons, he turned back the clock with the win at the 4 Nations Face-Off. Crosby captained that team to the gold medal alongside Nathan MacKinnon, and the pair will look to claim another gold at the Men’s World Hockey Championship this spring. MLB reporter Jon Morosi occasionally crosses over to hockey, and he did it again on Friday when he announced that Crosby will captain Canada at the World Championship. He also reported that Nathan MacKinnon and Ryan O’Reilly would be the assistant captains. Hockey Canada also confirmed the news with an announcement on social media. Meet the captains! / Voici nos capitaines! 🇨🇦 C: Sidney Crosby (@HockeyNS)A: Nathan MacKinnon (@HockeyNS)A: Ryan O’Reilly (@OHFHockey)#MensWorlds | #MondialMasculin pic.twitter.com/Uj7DnDd1Sz — Hockey Canada (@HockeyCanada) May 9, 2025 It’s admirable that Crosby and MacKinnon attended the tournament in Sweden and Denmark. Many are using this year’s World Championship as a launching pad for an Olympics invite in 2026. The pair could’ve easily gone home to Nova Scotia and trained together all summer as they have for over a decade, but instead, they will battle for their country for the next three weeks. It was a foregone conclusion for Crosby that he wouldn’t make the playoffs, but MacKinnon is still reeling from the heartbreak of losing to the Dallas Stars. No one would’ve blamed him for wanting to take a break from the game, but instead, he’ll direct his frustrations towards the other hockey nations. Familiar friend joins Sidney Crosby © Geoff Burke-Imagn Images Mackinnon and Crosby joining forces is always a great story, but there is one that will overtake that this year. Marc-Andre Fleury had his retirement tour all season in the NHL, but he isn’t done with hockey yet. Fleury will have one more farewell when he dons the red and white for the first time in the World Championship to team up with Crosby. Fleury played 13 seasons with the Penguins before the Vegas Golden Knights took him in the expansion draft. He and Crosby won three Stanley Cups together and became best friends as they progressed from rookies to superstars in Pittsburgh. Players don’t often get their storybook endings, but a gold medal with Crosby could be as good as it gets for Fleury.