Sidney Crosby joins Team Canada at world hockey championships

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Sidney Crosby is heading to Switzerland to represent his country at the men’s world hockey championships, Hockey Canada announced on Tuesday.

This will mark the Pittsburgh Penguins captain’s fourth career appearance at the international tournament, and second in consecutive years. Crosby was available after the Penguins were eliminated by Philadelphia in Game 6 of the first round of the NHL playoffs two weeks ago.

The 38-year-old Crosby’s addition came at the same time Hockey Canada announced New York Islanders forward Mathew Barzal will not compete as a precaution because of an injury.

Philadelphia’s Porter Martone and New Jersey’s Dawson Mercer were added to the roster hours before the announcement of Crosby in and Barzal out was made.

It was not immediately clear if Crosby would take over as captain for San Jose’s Macklin Celebrini, who was initially expected to wear the “C.”

Crosby most recently captained Canada’s silver medal-winning team at the Milan Cortina Games in February. He was unable to finish the tournament because of a lower-body injury, which sidelined him for nearly a month.

From Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia, Crosby is a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation’s elite “Triple Gold” club in having won Olympic and world championship gold medals, and a Stanley Cup.

He's a two-time Olympic gold medalist and most memorably scored the championship-clinching overtime goal in Canada's 3-2 win over the U.S. at the 2010 Vancouver Games. Crosby is a three-time Cup champion with Pittsburgh, and was a member of Canada's gold medal world championship team in 2015.

Canada opens the 17-day, 16-nation tournament facing Sweden on Friday.

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