- Canada are slight favorites to win the inaugural 4 Nations Cup, which takes place from February 12 to 20 in Boston and Montreal.
- Canadian captain Sidney Crosby had a left arm injury, but he says he is ready to lead the team in their first game against Sweden on Wednesday.
- The Canadians will also start Jordan Binnington in goal for their first game.
The NHL is replacing their All-Star Weekend with the first-ever 4 Nations Cup, a four-team tournament featuring Canada, the United States, Sweden, and Finland. This is a precursor to NHL players returning to the Olympics in Italy in 2026.
Of course, Team Canada is a major story going into the tournament, and their captain will play after suffering an injury. Meanwhile, Canada has also named their starting goaltender for Wednesday’s opener against Sweden in Montreal.
Crosby Recovers from Arm Injury, Will Captain Canada
Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby was in danger of missing the 4 Nations Cup as he injured his left arm on February 4 against the New Jersey Devils. But Crosby announced that he was “good to go” after practicing with the team on February 10.
Crosby is one of the greatest to ever play hockey, and at 37, is still productive. The Nova Scotia native has 17 goals and 41 assists for 58 points in 55 games for the Penguins, who are in a rebuilding phase. Internationally, Crosby has been a stalwart for Canada, scoring arguably the most famous goal in Canadian hockey history with the winner at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver. He has two Olympic gold medals, golds from the 2015 World Championship and the 2016 World Cup, and the 2005 World Juniors.
He’ll be crucial to Canada’s 2025 4 Nations Face-Off odds, likely playing on a line with fellow Nova Scotian and Colorado’s Nathan McKinnon. Crosby will likely also play on the power play with McKinnon, Edmonton’s Connor McDavid, Florida’s Sam Reinhart, and Colorado’s Cale Makar.
But Crosby’s leadership and experience is what earned him the captain’s spot for Canada, who are the slight favorites to win at online sportsbooks, just over the United States. He has more international experience, by far, than anyone on the team, and their three opponents are all excellent. Crosby knows this, and he’ll urge the team not to overlook anyone.
Canada Names Binnington as Starting Goalie
In goal, the Canadians are going with St. Louis’ Jordan Binnington, said Canada head coach Jon Cooper, who also coaches the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Binnington, 31, earns the #1 spot over Vegas’ Adin Hill and Montreal’s Sam Montembeault. He led the Blues to the Stanley Cup as a rookie in 2019, but he has struggled in 2024-25. Binnington is 15-19-4 with a save percentage of .897, and a 2.89 goals against average.
Meanwhile, Hill is 20-10-4 for the Golden Knights, posting a save percentage of .900 and a goals against average of 2.64. Hill, who is three years younger than Binnington, also won the Stanley Cup with Vegas in 2023.
This move might be the biggest factor in Canada’s chances at NHL betting sites. It is acknowledged that the United States are better in goal, and Binnington will be under the spotlight. There isn’t much time in the 4 Nations Face-Off round-robin format, so how Binnington performs could be the difference between an international win or loss for Canada.
