Pittsburgh Penguins stars Sidney Crosby and Erik Karlsson have been selected to represent their respective national teams in the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off event. Crosby will suit up for Team Canada, while Karlsson will join Team Sweden.
On Friday, the NHL and NHL Players Association announced the “first six” players from each of the four teams participating in the international tournament, which will take place in February in Montreal and Boston.
Despite nearing his 37th birthday, Crosby remains a dominant force in the league. Last season, he led the Penguins with 94 points, including 42 goals, while playing all 82 games. Crosby has a storied history representing Canada, highlighted by his iconic “golden goal” at the 2010 Olympics. He has won two Olympic gold medals, two World Championship golds, and, with his three Stanley Cups, is a member of the prestigious triple gold club.
Karlsson, a three-time Norris Trophy winner, tallied 11 goals and 56 points in 82 games during the 2023-24 season, his first with the Penguins.
The announcement of the initial players started with Sweden and Finland, followed by Team Canada. The United States will reveal their first six players later on Friday morning.
Joining Crosby on Team Canada are forward Nathan MacKinnon (Colorado Avalanche), forward Connor McDavid (Edmonton Oilers), forward Brad Marchand (Boston Bruins), forward Brayden Point (Toronto Maple Leafs), and defenseman Cale Makar (Colorado Avalanche). Crosby and McDavid are already strategizing for Canada’s success.
For Team Sweden, the other players named are defenseman Victor Hedman (Tampa Bay Lightning), defenseman Gustav Forsling (Florida Panthers), forward Filip Forsberg (Nashville Predators), forward Mika Zibanejad (New York Rangers), and forward William Nylander (Toronto Maple Leafs).
Team Finland’s lineup includes goaltender Juuse Saros (Nashville Predators), defensemen Esa Lindell and Miro Heiskanen (Dallas Stars), forward Aleksander Barkov (Florida Panthers), forward Mikko Rantanen (Colorado Avalanche), and forward Sebastian Aho (Carolina Hurricanes).
The remaining roster spots for all teams will be announced at a later date.
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