Crosby, MacKinnon and McDavid among the first 6 Canadian players for the 2025 4 Nations confrontation

Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche and Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers are among the first six players named to Canada’s team for the 2025 4 Nations Tournament, which will be held Friday.

Canada, the United States, Sweden and Finland will participate in the tournament, scheduled for February 12-20 at TD Garden in Boston and the Bell Centre in Montreal.

They will be joined by Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar and forwards Brad Marchand (Boston Bruins) and Brayden Point (Tampa Bay Lightning). The rest of the roster, which will feature 23 NHL players (20 skaters and three goalies), will be named later this year.

Crosby led the Penguins with 94 points (42 goals, 52 assists) in 82 games. It was the 19th season the 36-year-old forward averaged at least 1.00 points per game, tying Wayne Gretzky for the most in NHL history.

A three-time Stanley Cup champion (2009, 2016, 2017), Crosby ranks 10th all-time with 1,596 points (592 goals, 1,004 assists) in 1,272 games since being selected first overall by the Penguins in the 2005 NHL Draft. Among his honours, the Cole Harbour, N.S. native has won the Hart Trophy as the NHL’s most valuable player twice (2006-07, 2013-14), the Art Ross Trophy as the league’s leading scorer twice (2006-07, 2013-14) and the Conn Smythe Trophy as the Stanley Cup Playoffs’ most valuable player twice (2016, 2017).

MacKinnon finished second in the NHL this season with 140 points (51 goals, 89 assists) in 82 games, and won the Hart Trophy and the Ted Lindsay Award, given to the most outstanding player as voted on by the NHL Players’ Association. The 28-year-old forward from Halifax, N.S., also had 14 points (four goals, 10 assists) in 11 playoff games.

Since being selected by the Avalanche with the first overall pick in the 2013 NHL Draft, MacKinnon has 899 points (335 goals, 564 assists) in 791 regular-season games and 114 points (48 goals, 66 assists) in 88 playoff games. That includes 24 points (13 goals, 11 assists) in 20 games to help the Avalanche win the Stanley Cup in 2022.

McDavid tied Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov for the NHL lead with 100 assists, the first players to have at least 100 assists in a season since Gretzky (122) in 1990-91. McDavid finished third in the League with 132 points, the seventh time in nine NHL seasons he has reached 100 points.

The 27-year-old from Richmond Hill, Ont., also led the NHL with 42 points (eight goals, 34 assists) in 25 playoff games to help the Oilers reach the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 2006. He became the sixth player to win the Conn Smythe Trophy, awarded to the playoff MVP of a losing team. McDavid’s 34 assists were the most points by a player in a single playoff series, and the most points since Mario Lemieux had 44 (16 goals, 28 assists) in 23 games with the Penguins in 1991.

Since being selected by the Oilers with the first pick in the 2015 NHL Draft, McDavid has 982 points (335 goals, 647 assists) in 645 regular season games and 117 points (37 goals, 80 assists) in 74 playoff games. He is a three-time Hart Trophy winner (2016-17, 2020-21, 2022-23) and is a finalist for the award this season.

Makar finished second among NHL defensemen with 90 points (21 goals, 69 assists) in 77 games this season, and had 15 points (five goals, 10 assists) in 11 playoff games.

The 25-year-old, born in Calgary, was a finalist for the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s best defenseman for a fourth consecutive season. he won the award in 2021–22, the same season he also won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP when the Avalanche won the Stanley Cup. His 29 points (eight goals, 21 assists) in 20 games led the playoffs and set a record for Quebec Avalanche/Nordiques defensemen.

Selected by the Avalanche in the first round (4th overall) of the 2017 NHL Draft, Makar has 336 points (86 goals, 250 assists) in 315 regular season games and 80 points (21 goals, 59 assists) in 72 games. playoffs.

Marchand, in his first season as Bruins captain, finished second on the team with 67 points (29 goals, 38 assists) in 82 regular-season games, and had 10 points (three goals, seven assists) in 11 playoff games.

The 36-year-old forward, born in Halifax, N.S., has 929 points (401 goals, 528 assists) in 1,029 regular-season games and 138 points (56 goals, 82 assists) in 157 playoff games. That includes 19 points (11 goals, eight assists) in 25 games to help the Bruins win the Stanley Cup in 2011. Boston selected him in the third round (71st overall) of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft.

Point finished second on the Lightning with 90 points (46 goals, 44 assists) in 81 regular season games and had five points (two goals, three assists) in five playoff games.

The 28-year-old Calgary native was selected by the Lightning in the third round (79th overall) of the 2014 NHL Draft and has recorded 553 points (264 goals, 289 assists) in 580 regular-season games and 87 points (42 goals, 45 assists) in 87 playoff games. That includes a combined 56 points (28 goals, 28 assists) in 46 games to help the Lighting win the Stanley Cup in 2020 and 2021.

Don Sweeney of the Boston Bruins is Canada’s general manager, and Jon Cooper of the Tampa Bay Lightning will be the coach.

Canada will face Sweden at the Bell Centre on February 12, the United States at the Bell Centre on February 15 and Finland at TD Garden on February 17.