With the 4 Nations Faceoff now done and in the books we can look back in almost realtime at how the torch has been passed in Canadian hockey history from Sidney Crosby to the next generation that will be led by Connor McDavid. The Oilers franchise player is the current frontrunner to captain team Canada at the Olympics next year in Milan, Italy and going into this tournament we were all aware that this was likely Crosby’s last time leading what was truly in every sense of it’s meaning an unstoppable generation of Canadian hockey.
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The Canadians led by Crosby seldomly ever lost in best on best competition since he took leadership of the men’s hockey team in 2010. In 15 years as captain of the team the Canadians have lost a total of three games all of which were to the Americans, yet none of them were in meaningful games. Whenever Canada has matched the US in a game with stakes Canada has come out on top; the 2010 Olympic gold medal game, and the 2025 4 Nations Face Off final. Canada has backed up their claims of ice hockey being their sport and that is in big part thanks to Sidney Crosby who has held the torch and locked the fort down for Canada for a decade and a half. Despite the widespread consensus being that McDavid is likely to take the leadership going forward, the two really had a passing of the torch official type moment in this past tournament, where like Connor’s predecessor did 15 years ago, he too scored a “golden goal” for Canada winning them the 4 Nations and if there was any doubt cementing what should be a McDavid led Canada team this coming year.
However McDavid shouldn’t just be the captain because of his name and him scoring the golden goal. No no no, there is so much more as to why he’s the man to lead Canada going forward. Firstly he has proven time and time again that when he steps onto the ice he IS the most electrifying player on the planet. His speed and skill is absolutely game breaking and unparalleled to anything ever seen in the sport before. He is exceptional at stepping to the plate when he’s needed most, even having gone to the Stanley Cup final and almost pulling off the biggest upset in final history this past June. He possesses a long list of accolades including multiple MVP’s and Art Ross trophies along with Ted Lindsay for his exceptional play. His leadership ability goes beyond all this though. Playing for the Oilers he’s no stranger to the high pressure atmosphere, and has captained the Oilers since he was 19 years old when he was named the youngest captain in NHL history. He better than anyone knows what it’s like to be on the biggest stages and have a magnifying glass pointed at his play.
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Similar to his predecessor, McDavid also elevates the play of those around him. There are several fantastic players in the NHL but not all of them have the ability to truly raise and elevate their teammates the way that Sid and Connor do. His relentless work ethic and dedication to the game is few and far between even among the NHL’s best and it’s exactly what you’re looking for to lead International hockey’s most storied team. It’s also worth noting that this past tournament was far from McDavid’s first time playing at the International level, having captained team North America up against Canada at the 2016 World Cup of hockey. Additionally he played for Canada at the 2015 IIHF World Championships after a long line of experience playing for the under World Junior club. Time and time again Connor has shown that he has what it takes to not only take the reins from Crosby at the International level and even build off what’s already been done for Canada in these competitions.
McDavid has been constantly praised by hockey’s best players around him.. Following the 4 Nations both Crosby and MacKinnon had nothing but great things to say about the generational talent, stating “he does so much for this team and this league” before going on to talk about how humble and great of a leader he truly is. He’s been known to be an excellent teammate having oftentimes been told that he’s the best player that most have ever played with. Teammates of both past and present have also gone on to say that he leads by example, he doesn’t take games or nights off and is always putting in maximum effort whether it’s for a game or even practice. Hockey is what Connor lives and breathes. Off the ice he’s just as good of a person having been widely acknowledged as a global ambassador for hockey and his never ending involvement with different charity organizations and community projects. This is not just the kind of player but person that Canada needs following in the footsteps of one of the best role models the sport has ever seen in Sidney Crosby. The two parallel in many ways to the point that it’s almost uncanny. The way they carry themselves in the media are extremely similar, never showing too much personality one way or another while having almost nobody with anything bad to say about the two. They both went first overall teen years apart and were similar numbers. Both were deemed the one to save their franchise from turmoil succeeding Gretzky and Lemieux as the next great in franchise history.
The honour of being a nation’s captain comes down to so much more than just who has the most talent. It’s about which players embody the spirit of their country, and who is willing to leave it all out on the ice and bleed their countries’ colours. Hopefully not literally. Canada will be naming McDavid captain because not only is he the greatest, but he embodies what Canadian hockey is all about. He exemplifies qualities of dominance, sportsmanship, relentlessness, even unity. McDavid bears it all on the ice for whatever team he is playing for and you know he’ll do it ten fold when he puts the maple leaf on next year and goes out to capture gold for Canada with the C on his chest.