Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid and Alex Pietrangelo were named to the Canadian men’s Olympic hockey team on Sunday, announced team Canada general manager Doug Armstrong.
These are the first three players submitted to compete for Team Canada at the upcoming Beijing Winter Olympics.
“Those guys are at the top of their game in the league too, and they are proven winners,” Armstrong said in a interview with NHL.com.
Crosby will compete in his third Olympics. The first two, in Vancouver 2010 and Sochi 2014, Crosby helped Team Canada win the gold medal. The 34-year-old is a three-time Stanley Cup champion with the Pittsburgh Penguins and was also team captain for Canada during their 2016 Hockey World Cup victory.
Sidney Crosby, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and member of the Triple Gold Club, has been selected to the Hockey Canada 2022 initial Olympic roster
More details: https://t.co/QzMB6Ntsgz pic.twitter.com/qx7pj1x0Kn– Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) October 4, 2021
“I’ve talked to Sid more than any (player) just because of my past relationship with him, and he will be our leader,” Armstrong said. “We go back to the 2010 Olympics. I wouldn’t call us best friends, but I feel comfortable calling him on the phone and he is comfortable answering.”
Pietrangelo will compete in his second Olympics for Canada. The Vegas Golden Knights defender anchored Canada’s dominant blue line during his gold medal run at the Sochi Olympics. Pietrangelo spent 12 seasons with the St. Louis Blues, where he won the Stanley Cup in 2019.
McDavid wants to play in his first Olympics. The Edmonton Oilers captain is a two-time Hart Memorial Trophy winner as the NHL’s MVP, all at the age of 24.
The next task for the Team Canada management group is to complete the rest of the Olympic roster. You have until Oct. 15 to send 55 players to join Crosby, McDavid and Pietrangelo.