Crosby, McDavid highlight Canada’s initial roster for 2025 4 Nations Face-Off

Hockey Canada has its first six players for the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off, set to take place from Feb. 12-20 in Montreal and Boston.

Forwards Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, Brayden Point and Brad Marchand, as well as defenseman Cale Makar, were the first players named to the roster, with the rest of the lineup to be determined at a later date.

The tournament marks the first best-on-best action since the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. Connor McDavid and Brayden Point were part of Team North America back then, and Cale Makar hadn’t been drafted yet.

Crosby is one of Canada’s most notable international performers of all time. He won gold at the 2010 and 2014 Olympics, among other events, with his game-winning goal at the 2010 tournament in Vancouver being a massive career highlight.

McDavid last played for Canada at the 2018 World Championship, registering 17 points in 10 games while leading all players with 12 assists. He won gold at the 2013 U-18 World Championship and 2015 World Juniors before becoming one of the best players in the world.

MacKinnon, meanwhile, won gold with Canada at the 2015 World Championship before taking home silver in 2018. On Thursday night in Vegas, the 2022 Stanley Cup Champion won the Hart Trophy and Ted Lindsay Award as the NHL’s most valuable player.

Point has only represented Canada once in senior international competition, registering five points in 10 games en route to a silver medal in 2017. The two-time Stanley Cup champion made a name for himself as one of the best playoff performers during the 2020 and 2021 runs and is coming off his second consecutive season with at least 90 points.

Marchand, has a near-perfect record when representing Canada. He won gold at the 2007 and 2008 World Juniors and was one of the top players when the team won gold at the 2016 World Championship. A few months later, he played a big part in Canada’s gold at the World Cup of Hockey, his last international experience to date.

Canada will look to chase gold against USA, Sweden and Finland, all of whom announced their rosters on Friday.