McDavid, Crosby headline Canada’s first six on Olympic roster
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Canada has revealed the first six names on its preliminary rosters for the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Italy.
The initial roster includes: Connor McDavid, Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, Sam Reinhart, and Brayden Point.
Edmonton Oilers captain McDavid, 28, returns to represent Canada in another best-on-best event after scoring the tournament-clinching goal in overtime against the United States at the 4 Nations Face-Off in February. The Newmarket, Ont., native recorded his fifth-consecutive 100-point season in 2024-25, tallying 26 goals and 74 assists in 67 games. He has also added seven goals and 33 points in 21 playoff games as the Oilers are in the Stanley Cup Final for the second-straight season.
Crosby, 37, will represent Canada at the Olympic Games for a third time after winning gold in 2010 in Vancouver and 2014 in Sochi. The Cole Harbour, N.S. native scored 33 goals and 91 points in 80 games with the Pittsburgh Penguins this season, his 20th in the NHL. In 1,352 career games, Crosby has 65 goals and 1,687 points. Crosby and McDavid each scored five points at the 4 Nations Face-Off to lead Canada.
MacKinnon, 29, received a Hart Trophy nomination this season after scoring 32 goals and 116 points in 79 games with the Colorado Avalanche. It was the second-highest point total of his 12-year career. The Cole Harbour, N.S. native won the Hart last season after recording 51 goals and 140 points. MacKinnon led the 4 Nations Face-Off in scoring with four goals in four games.
Makar, 26, was recently awarded the Norris Trophy for the second time in his career after recording his first 30-goal season and a career-best 92 points in 2024-25. It was the fifth straight year that the Calgary native was named a finalist for the award. The Avalanche blueliner has 116 goals and 428 points in 395 career games.
Point, 29, reached the 40-goal plateau for the third-straight season and fourth time overall in 2024-25 when he recorded 42 goals and 82 points in 77 games. The Calgary native has won two Stanley Cups with the Tampa Bay Lightning and also represented Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off.
Reinhart, 29, scored 39 goals and 81 points with the Florida Panthers this season. The West Vancouver, B.C, native has seven goals and 19 points in 20 playoff games as the Panthers are trying to win their second-straight Stanley Cup.
“What we saw at the 4 Nations: Sam is just a well-balanced player who can touch every aspect of our team,” Canada Olympic general manager Doug Armstrong told The Athletic in explaining the decision. “There was no question he was going to be on our team. He was just a natural selection now (in June) based on his play and his history of great play in big events.’’
“Team Canada, that’s what you dream about playing for,” Reinhart told The Athletic. “It’s been such a long time, right, since we’ve been in the Olympics? So to have that opportunity is a dream come true.”
Reinhart replaced Panthers teammate Brad Marchand as the only change made from the First Six announcement of the 4 Nations Face-Off roster.
All 12 countries participating in the men's hockey tournament will name the first six players on the roster on Monday. The remainder of the rosters will be announced later this year.
The tournament will begin on Feb. 11 with the gold medal game scheduled for Feb. 22