Why Team Canada handed Sidney Crosby the C for Milano Cortina 2026, plus McDavid and Makar as alternates
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Daniel Lucente
Feb 8, 2026 (10:49)
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![[Imagn Images direct customers only] Team Canada forwards Connor McDavid (97) and center Sydney Crosby (87) before the 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey championship game against the United States at TD Garden.](https://i.marqueur.com/habsetlnh/medium/640581.webp "[Imagn Images direct customers only] Team Canada forwards Connor McDavid (97) and center Sydney Crosby (87) before the 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey championship game against the United States at TD Garden.")
Photo credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images
Sidney Crosby is Team Canada captain for Milano Cortina 2026, and the gold-or-bust pressure just got real.
Connor McDavid and Cale Makar get the A’s, which tells you how serious this room is about pace and detail.
This is the obvious call, but obvious does not mean easy.
Crosby is rolling into the Games with 27-32-59 for Pittsburgh, and the Penguins are sitting 29-15-12 at the Olympic pause.
McDavid brings the chaos every coach actually wants, 34-62-96 in Edmonton this season.
Makar is doing Makar things from the blue line, 15-42-57 with a plus-28.
As shared by Mike McIntyre, Canada’s first practice is set for 7:45 pm local time, which is a quick flip from travel mode to business mode.
"To the surprise of absolutely no one, Sidney Crosby has just been named captain of Team Canada here at Milano Cortina Olympic 2026.
Connor McDavid and Cale Makar will serve as alternates."
- Mike McIntyre
Connor McDavid and Cale Makar will serve as alternates."
- Mike McIntyre
Canada opens the men’s tournament on Thursday against Czechia, then gets Switzerland Friday and France Sunday.
Sidney Crosby sets the tone for Team Canada
If you’re a Canadian fan, you feel calmer already, because Crosby’s shifts tend to drag everyone into the right habits.
The alternates matter here, too, because this roster will play fast and attack off retrievals, and those two are built for it.
Crosby can run the bumper, win the wall, and still be first back through the middle.
McDavid tilts the top-six matchups even when he does not score.
Makar turns breakouts into instant offense, and that shortens games.
Now the hard part is chemistry, not talent.
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| POLL | ||
FEVRIER 8|132 ANSWERS Why Team Canada handed Sidney Crosby the C for Milano Cortina 2026, plus McDavid and Makar as alternates Should Sidney Crosby captain Team Canada through Milano Cortina 2026? | ||
| Yes | 123 | 93.2 % |
| No | 9 | 6.8 % |
| List of polls | ||