Canada’s team for the inaugural 4 Nations Face-Off will include the NHL’s most valuable player and its playoff MVP.
Colorado Avalanche centre Nathan MacKinnon and Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid were among the six players announced Friday by Hockey Canada, along with Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby, Colorado defenceman Cale Makar, Boston Bruins captain Brad Marchand and Tampa Bay Lightning forward Brayden Point.
MacKinnon was awarded the NHL’s Hart Trophy for the first time in his career on Thursday night, capping a season in which he put up 140 points (51 goals, 89 assists).
McDavid, who was a finalist for the Hart, was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as post-season MVP after amassing 42 points (eight goals, 34 assists) in 25 games as the Oilers advanced to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup final before losing 2-1 to Florida in the deciding game.
Crosby will be looking to decorate an international career with Canada that includes two Olympic gold medals. He scored the winning overtime goal against the United States in the final of the 2010 Olympic tournament in Vancouver.
Makar who has won the Calder, Norris and Conn Smythe trophies over his five-season career, has won gold with Canada at the world junior and Junior A Challenge levels.
Marchand, who has spent 15 seasons in Boston and just finished his first as captain, won back-to-back world championship gold medals as well as gold at the world championship and World Cup of Hockey over his international career.
Point, a two-time Stanley Cup winner with the Lightning, has won silver at the world championship, gold at the world junior championship, gold at the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cup and bronze at the U18 world championship.
The rest of Canada’s roster will be announced at a later date.
The 4 Nations Face-Off, featuring teams from Canada, the United States, Finland and Sweden made up of NHL players, makes its debut next year and will be held Feb. 12-20 in Montreal and Boston.
Toronto Maple Leafs centre Auston Matthews was named to the United States’ team along with defenceman Quinn Hughes of the Vancouver Canucks, forward Matthew Tkachuk of the Stanley Cup-champion Florida Panthers, defenceman Adam Fox of the New York Rangers and rearguard Charlie McAvoy of the Bruins.
Leafs forward William Nylander was named to Sweden’s team along with Tampa Bay defenceman Victor Hedman, Pittsburgh defenceman Erik Karlsson, Florida defenceman Gustav Forsling, forward Filip Forsberg of the Nashville Predators and Rangers forward Mika Zibanejad.
Florida captain Aleksander Barkov, Nashville goalie Juuse Saros, Dallas Stars defencemen Miro Heiskanen and Esa Lindell, and forwards Sebastian Aho of the Carolina Hurricanes and Mikko Rantanen of the Avalanche.