MONTREAL — That sigh of relief heard across the country on a frigid Monday morning came from the suburb of Brossard.
As Team Canada held its first practice in preparation for the 4 Nations Face-Off that will get underway on Wednesday night at the Bell Centre, captain Sidney Crosby was among the participants in the skate at the nearby CN Sports Complex in Brossard.
After missing the final two games before the tournament with the Pittsburgh Penguins due to an undisclosed upper-body injury, Crosby was a full participant in the practice with Vegas Golden Knights captain Mark Stone on his left and Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche on the right.
Crosby told reporters in Brossard he’s good to go for the tournament. Canada will face Team Sweden in the opener Wednesday while the United States will take on Finland in Game 2 on Thursday night.
“I was just trying to see where I was at and get treatment and talking to everybody,” Crosby said following the club’s skate. “It was a busy week but I’m happy to be here and just excited to get going.”
There was genuine concern that Crosby, the man who scored the Golden Goal in overtime to secure the 2010 Olympics for Canada in Vancouver, may not participate in the tournament, which may be his final opportunity to put on the Maple Leaf.
Crosby is the straw that stirs the drink for this country. One of the greatest players to ever pull on a sweater, he has 609 goals, 1054 assists and 1,654 points in 1,327 NHL games, has won the Hart Trophy as the league’s MVP and is a three-time Stanley Cup champion.
But Penguins GM Kyle Dubas has so much respect for Crosby he left the decision up to him. He continued to skate on the two days he didn’t play and it’s no surprise that the 37-year-old opted to participate.
“It’s a long process. I hope you’ve got a while,” Crosby said. “I just met with a couple of different doctors. We were playing a couple of games before the break and I was ruled out for those. I’ve talked to the doctors here, and I’ve had some good dialogue with the coaches to just see where I was at.
“Today was the first time I skated with a group, I was skating on my own before that and everything went well so I feel good from that standpoint. There have been a lot of questions, a lot of ‘How are you feeling?’ the last five days.”
Losing Crosby would have been a blow, but let’s not forget this Canadian roster is loaded with talent. Edmonton superstar Connor McDavid anchored the first line with Florida’s Sam Reinhart and Toronto’s Mitch Marner on the wings, so they’ll be a force to be reckoned with.
Crosby, McDavid, MacKinnon, Reinhart and Colorado defenceman Cale Makar also were used as the club’s top power-play unit by Canadian coach Jon Cooper and his staff.
Imagine having that kind of talent to choose from, but in a short tournament, it has to come together quickly.
“It’s exciting. There’s a ton of talent and a ton of skill,” Crosby said. “Having to think and move quickly, be instinctive, but also reactive to some of the plays that they make. That’s fun and that’s challenging.
“The biggest challenge is just becoming a team and getting sharp. Today was the first step toward that. It’s fun to see the skill and the speed and just the talent.”
Crosby said the players for all four countries are excited to get going and he hasn’t worn the Canadian jersey since the 2016 World Cup in Toronto.
“It’s been a long time since we’ve been able to do this and guys are excited,” he added. “All the players, regardless of what country they’re playing for, they are really excited. I would expect the level of play will be high.”
He didn’t want to miss this chance because who knows what tomorrow will bring for his career.
“I’ve had other opportunities to represent Canada, and there are guys I’ve played with before, but mostly it’s new guys,” Crosby said. “Playing for Team Canada is always a huge honour, especially here in Montreal, it’s great atmosphere.”
Cooper is thrilled to have Crosby because he does things the right way.
“I haven’t been around him in my career other than competing against him,” Cooper said. “The way he is, and interacts, and the guy that carries so much weight and he’s like a polarizing figure but there’s so much humility that just bleeds through him.
“That’s why people follow him. Gosh, talk about a guy wanting to play for your country, this kid is remarkable with the passion he has for it. It’s probably why he has a whole lot of wins and not a whole lot of losses playing in these events.”
Asked if he saw himself at the Olympics next year, Crosby chuckled because that’s not a decision he can make. It’s certainly a goal.
“I’m really excited to be part of this and happy for the opportunity, but that’d be great,” Crosby said. “I’m not quite thinking that far ahead yet.”