Why Hockey Canada circled back to Sidney Crosby as captain for the 2026 Olympics

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Daniel Lucente
February 8, 2026 (11:24)

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Photo credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

Sidney Crosby was named Team Canada captain Sunday, and the 2026 Olympics suddenly feel very real.

This is not nostalgia. This is Hockey Canada picking the one edge it still believes in.

Last summer, Scott Salmond flat-out said Canada’s remaining advantage is Crosby, because the rest of the world has caught up fast.

The United States is deeper than ever. Sweden can roll four lines, and Finland never beats itself.

So Canada went back to the same answer. Put the room in Crosby’s hands, and let the standard take over.

Crosby heads into the break with 27-32-59, and Pittsburgh sits 29-15-12. He is still driving play, still dragging shifts into the right end.

"It’s a huge advantage for us, no question."

- Scott Salmond

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Captain Canada is a nickname, but it also works like a job title. Everybody in that room knows what the pace looks like when he sets it.

Canadian fans are excited, but there’s also that familiar tension, because the margin for error is gone now.

Salmond’s “one advantage” line lands harder in 2026, because the tournament won’t be won on talent alone.

It’ll be won in the details, line changes, puck support, and who stays calm when a power play goes cold.

Crosby still wins those moments. He turns panic into structure.

If Canada’s best players are all equal on paper, Crosby is the separator in the gray areas.

Now he wears the C again, and the next milestone is simple: show up in February and make “advantage” mean something on the ice.

Previously on HockeyUnplugged

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FEVRIER 8\|111 ANSWERS Why Hockey Canada circled back to Sidney Crosby as captain for the 2026 Olympics Will Sidney Crosby being Team Canada captain decide the 2026 Olympics?
Yes	81	73 %
No	30	27 %
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