It will be best on best, with the red maple leaf on his chest.
To say Connor McDavid is getting amped up to represent Canada in the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off later this month is an understatement, to say the least.
Especially considering how rare it’s been for the Edmonton Oilers captain to suit up for his home country on the international stage.
Not that the NHL’s made-for-TV tournament is the most international of stages, by definition. But at this point, McDavid will take whatever he can get.
“Yes, it’s not the Olympics,” McDavid said in front of his locker stall at Rogers Place on Friday. “I understand that it’s not the World Cup of hockey, but there’s still something on the line and we want to represent our country well.”
Here he is, 10 seasons into his NHL career already and it’s something he’s really only ever done a couple of times before as a professional, at the 2018 World Hockey Championship in Denmark, and at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, though that was with a combined Team North America squad.
Otherwise, international play is something that’s been able to dodge the career of the best player in the world right now, for whatever reason.
“This is not the first time I’ve been asked this question, but of course it’s going to be exciting,” said McDavid, who was announced Thursday as an alternate captain on Team Canada, along with Colorado Avalanche defenceman Cale Makar, while Pittsburgh Penguins forward Sidney Crosby will wear the C. “I think everybody that’s there is proud to represent their country.
“They picked a team, when everybody was available, and this was the roster they went with. There’s meaning in that.
“I think about playing in Montreal, playing Sweden, playing the Americans there on a Saturday night, Finland in Boston and hopefully the opportunity to win it all a couple days later. It’s going to be a great tournament, it’s going to be short, which should make for some really intense games.”
The 4 Nations Face-Off runs Feb. 12-20 in Montreal and Boston, with Team Canada coming up against Team USA, Team Sweden and Team Finland. The three-day tournament will include a round robin followed by a championship game between the top two teams.
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On Twitter: @GerryModdejonge