McDavid has been clamoring to compete for Canada in a best-on-best international event for years – and been vocal about those desires. Since turning pro after being drafted first in the 2015 draft, McDavid took part in the 2016 World Cup as a member of the under-23 North American team and in two world championships in 2016 and 2018.

McDavid and Crosby were among the first six players named to the Canada roster for the 4 Nations Face-Off, along with center Nathan MacKinnon and defenseman Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche, forward Brayden Point of the Tampa Bay Lightning and forward Brad Marchand of the Boston Bruins.

While there hasn't been much fanfare for it, the NHL's inaugural 4 Nations Face-Off begins in just under 4 months time. Today, the NHL revealed uniforms of the four competing teams: Canada, USA, Sweden and Finland.

The 37-year-old has already captained Team Canada multiple times on the international stage. He was the Canadian captain during back-to-back gold medal runs at the 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympics before leading his country to first-place honors at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.

When McDavid pulls on the Team Canada jersey for this year's Four Nations tournament, he isn't hoping it will include the captain's C.

The 2024-25 NHL season will pause in February for a new tournament called the 4 Nations Face-Off. The US, Canada, Finland, and Sweden will put together their rosters for a round-robin tournament. Preliminary selections have already taken place with some obvious selections being finalized.

Connor McDavid treated the question like it was dumb-dumb stuff, like an empty net shot, middle of the ice from 15 feet out, goalie pulled, nobody chasing him. So who should have the C on his chest for Canada at the first-ever NHL 4 Nations Face-Off tournament with USA,

McDavid will be Canada's best player at the 4 Nations Face-Off in February, but it's still Sidney Crosby's team.

The Pittsburgh Penguins are in town to face the Edmonton Oilers, which has naturally led to a shift in focus to Connor McDavid vs. Sidney Crosby. The two superstars of this generation have played against each other many times since McDavid entered the NHL nearly a decade ago and we’ll soon see them play together on a team for the first time.