Penguins star Sidney Crosby joining Canada for world hockey championships

Canadian captain Sidney Crosby (87) tries a wraparound on Czechia goaltender Lukas Dostal (1) at the Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy, on Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

Sidney Crosby is poised to again pull on the red Maple Leaf this spring.

The Pittsburgh Penguins captain will join the men’s national team at the world championship in Switzerland, his NHL club and Hockey Canada announced Tuesday.

Crosby will make his fourth appearance at the worlds and represent his country on the international stage for an 11th time.

The 38-year-old from Cole Harbour, N.S., captained Canada to silver at the Milan Cortina Olympics, but suffered a knee injury in the quarterfinals and missed the medal round.

Crosby, whose Penguins were eliminated in the first round of this spring’s playoffs by the Philadelphia Flyers, helped Canada win gold at the 2010 and 2014 Games, along with a podium-topping performance at the 2015 worlds.

The three-time Stanley Cup champion is coming off his 21st NHL season that saw him record 29 goals and 45 assists for 74 points across 68 games. He led the Penguins in points, power-play goals (10) and game-winning goals (4).

Crosby paced his team in scoring for a franchise-record 16th time and moved up to seventh place on the NHL’s all-time scoring list (1,761). His 21 point-per-game seasons are the most in league history.

Hockey Canada announced San Jose Sharks star Macklin Celebrini as captain over the weekend, with John Tavares of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Ryan O’Reilly of the Nashville Predators serving as alternates.

Canada’s first game is Friday against Sweden in Fribourg.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 12, 2026.