Connor McDavid has waited a long time.
The superstar centre set to headline Canada鈥檚 roster at the 4 Nations Face-Off was a vocal proponent of getting NHL players back on the international stage and under the brightest lights.
Playing against many of the game鈥檚 best with the red Maple Leaf on his sweater at the highest level is something the Edmonton Oilers captain dreamt about long before entering the league.
That tournament now just over the horizon, McDavid has another item on his bucket list set to be checked off next month 鈥� suiting up alongside Sidney Crosby.
鈥淚鈥檝e gone to a couple of camps with him,鈥� the 27-year-old said of his childhood idol. 鈥淭his will be just that much better.鈥�
Crosby continues to beat back Father Time at age 37 with 15 goals and 38 assists for 53 points in 52 games this season for his Pittsburgh Penguins.
The calendar keeps flipping. The three-time Stanley Cup champion and two-time Olympic gold medallist largely remains the same.
鈥淚t鈥檚 unbelievable,鈥� McDavid said during a recent interview while filming a commercial shoot for Rogers, a 4 Nations Face-Off sponsor. 鈥淓verything that he鈥檚 done for the game, everything that he鈥檚 accomplished, and the fact that he鈥檚 still playing hockey and playing at such a high level, it鈥檚 incredible.鈥�
The 4 Nations showcase 鈥� the closest hockey has come to a best-on-best tournament since the 2016 World Cup 鈥� is set to run from Feb. 12 to 20. The United States, Sweden and Finland make up the rest of the field.
鈥淚t鈥檚 getting harder and harder to not think about it,鈥� McDavid said.
The No. 1 pick at the 2015 draft missed an opportunity to play for Canada at the 2018 Olympics when the NHL skipped the event for business reasons after going to five straight between 1998 and 2014. The COVID-19 pandemic scuttled 2022 plans at the Beijing Games.
The league and NHL Players鈥� Association signalled an intent last February to participate in both 2026 and 2030 Olympics. The NHL and NHLPA are also aiming for a World Cup return in 2028 with an eye toward having a marquee international tournament every two years moving forward.
鈥淭his isn鈥檛 exactly the Olympics or a World Cup,鈥� McDavid said of the 4 Nations. 鈥�(But) it鈥檚 a good teaser.鈥�
The Newmarket, Ont., product competed at the 2016 World Cup, but instead of donning Canada鈥檚 red and white threads, he suited up for Team North America 鈥� a collection of players age 23 and under.
And while he would have preferred to play for his country, the memories remain vivid.
鈥淪ome of the best practices I鈥檝e been part of,鈥� said McDavid, who has 21 goals and 45 assists for 66 points across 44 games in 2024-25. 鈥淐anada will be no different. Some of the best players in the world on that team and everyone鈥檚 highly competitive.
鈥淧ushing each other to get better and make sure we鈥檙e ready to roll.鈥�
Canada opens Feb. 12 against Finland at the Bell Centre in Montreal before a mouth-watering matchup Feb. 15 鈥� a Saturday night 鈥� against the U.S. The Canadians then face the Swedes in Boston on Feb. 17 at TD Garden. The final between the two teams with the best records after the round-robin schedule goes Feb. 20.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been forever,鈥� McDavid said of the wait for anything resembling best-on-best. 鈥淔or guys my age, I think about Auston (Matthews) or (Jack) Eichel or (Nathan) MacKinnon 鈥� guys that were on (Team North America) that haven鈥檛 really had an opportunity to play in something like this 鈥� ever.鈥�
The overarching hope is the 4 Nations, which will be played without Russia because of the ongoing war in Ukraine, serves as an appetizer before NHL reappears on sports鈥� biggest stage in just over 12 months at the 2026 Games in Milan and Cortina, Italy.
鈥淓verybody鈥檚 got a vested interest to grow this game,鈥� McDavid said. 鈥淏ut as players, it鈥檚 just an exciting opportunity to really challenge yourself.鈥�
The three-time Hart Trophy winner as NHL MVP said much like fans, he had a keen eye on the process as Canada rounded out its roster in December after initially announcing McDavid, Crosby, MacKinnon, Brad Marchand, Brayden Point and Cale Makar in June.
鈥淗ockey players are still hockey fans,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 feel like Canada could have put together a Canada 鈥楤鈥� team and a Canada 鈥楥鈥� team that would have represented the country well at this tournament.
鈥淭here鈥檚 so many great players 鈥� I wouldn鈥檛 want the job to put it together.鈥�
The next generation of stars 鈥� similar to how a young McDavid was mesmerized as Crosby led Canada to gold at the 2010 and 2014 Olympics 鈥� will be paying close attention.
鈥淭here鈥檚 always another guy next,鈥� McDavid said. 鈥淐anada is just an endless supply of hockey talent. There鈥檚 so many kids that are playing and loving the game across the country. They鈥檒l be watching.
鈥淚 just hope we do everybody proud.鈥�
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 28, 2025.
Joshua Clipperton, The Canadian Press
