Crosby: 'Have to earn' spot on Canada Olympic roster

Sidney Crosby took the humble route when asked about the possibility of representing Canada at the 2026 Olympics.

"I'd love to," Crosby said, per NHL.com's Amalie Benjamin. "I don't ever think too far ahead, regardless of how old you are, I think you always go a year at a time and see how it goes and where your game is at. I'd love to be a part of it. Something you have to earn, though. It's not something that's given to you. To represent your country, you've got to earn it."

On Friday, the NHL, NHLPA, and IIHF announced that players will participate in the 2026 and 2030 Olympics after missing out on the two most recent Winter Games. Crosby famously scored the golden goal for Canada in Vancouver in 2010, then captained his country to another gold in Sochi in 2014.

Crosby will be 38 by the time the Milan Olympics roll around in 2026, but the Pittsburgh Penguins star hasn't shown any signs of slowing down in his 19th NHL season. He's notched 50 points in 47 games in 2023-24 while averaging more than 20 minutes per contest and winning nearly 60% of his faceoffs.

His international resume is unmatched among players potentially chosen for the 2026 Canadian squad. Along with two Olympic golds, Crosby's won the world juniors, world championship, and the 2016 World Cup representing the Maple Leaf.

Despite his victories in every competition, Crosby's adamant nothing matches best-on-best at the Olympics.

"It's an unbelievable experience to see the best players go head-to-head representing their country," he said. "From my experience in it, I don't know if you get better hockey than that. It's great to be a part of and great for fans, everyone involved. It's a special thing."

Copyright (C) 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.