Crosby willing to play out of position to be on line with Connor McDavid

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Cooper Godin
September 16, 2023 (8:20)

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Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid is set to enter his ninth season in the National Hockey League and he's yet to represent his nation in a best-on-best event.

Hockey fans in Canada have been robbed of several opportunities to see McDavid play with Sidney Crosby on the international stage, with the NHL not sending players to the 2018 and 2022 Winter Olympics, as well as not holding a World Cup of Hockey since 2016.

But that may change, as the NHL and NHLPA are working on a plan to have a World Cup of Hockey in February 2025 and while on a recent edition of the '32 Thoughts' podcast, Crosby said he'd be willing to play out of position for Canada if it meant he could be on a line with Connor McDavid.

"I'll go there," Crosby said. "I'll play my off-wing, no worries. Listen, I've skated with him and I've played both, so I think I'm good either way with playing center or wing, whatever he wants to do. He can carry the mail. I'll just find the opening."

He went on to add, "Seeing all the other countries, you look at their lineups. I mean, it's pretty tight. I mean, there's no real favored team. It's easy to say Canada because we've had success at Olympics and that sort of thing. But, I mean, the hockey is incredible. And from my experience, it doesn't really get any better than that, when you're looking at the lineups and you're looking to players that are assembled."

For McDavid, he hasn't worn a Canadian sweater since the 2018 IIHF World Hockey Championship and it's been nearly seven years for Crosby, who hasn't represented the nation since the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, which he captained Canada to the title.

It's unclear what the 2025 World Cup of Hockey may look like as of yet, likely an eight-team tournament like previous editions, but it would certainly create a lot of excitement among fans if Crosby and McDavid are to play on the same line.