IIHF rules require that every team must dress a captain at the Olympics. If so, then it's pretty clear that Canada will give Connor McDavid the 'C.'
It's happening under less-than-ideal circumstances, but it looks like Sidney Crosby could be passing the torch — and the 'C' — to Connor McDavid at these Olympics.
That is, if Crosby cannot play in Friday's semifinal against Finland.
"Sid is by no means ruled out of the tournament," Team Canada coach Jon Cooper told reporters on Thursday. "We've got the best of the best looking at him. We're taking this day by day. And we're not going to put anyone in harm’s way. But if he can play, he's definitely going to. We'll know more again in 24 hours."
The Team Canada captain left Wednesday's quarterfinal against Czechia with a lower-body injury after receiving a hit from Radko Gudas in the second period. And while it's unclear whether Crosby has played his last game, IIHF rules require that every team must dress a captain.
If that's the case, then it's pretty clear who would be next in line to wear the 'C' if Crosby cannot play.
"I'm seeing much more out of the group now, especially Connor," said Cooper, who refused to speculate on who would be named interim captain. "Not that he wasn't comfortable, but I think there was a lot of uncertainty, especially because we hadn't seen best-on-best and this group hadn't been together for so long. In this tournament, he's been fabulous.”
Having won gold in 2010 and 2014, the 38-year-old Crosby is the unquestioned leader of the team. But as we saw at the 4 Nations Face-Off last year, where he scored the game-winning goal in overtime, it is McDavid who has been leading Canada once again offensively at these Olympics.
The NHL's leading scorer has a tournament-leading 11 points — matching the record shared by Teemu Selanne and Saku Koivu by NHLers at Olympics — in four games. Playing on a line with 19-year-old Macklin Celebrini (four goals and nine points) and at times Nathan MacKinnon (three goals and six points), McDavid has been every bit the player that Crosby was back in 2010 and 2014.
McDavid assisted on Canada's first two goals in a 4-3 overtime win against Czechia. It was his first game of the tournament where he had fewer than three points in a game.
"Never played against a player like him in my entire career,” Doughty told reporters after Thursday's optional practice. “Great guy off the ice, fun to hang around. And then when it's game time, he's dialled in and ready to go. And he puts that jersey on, and he's the best player on the ice every night. It's crazy."
The thing is, Canada is flush with leaders. Including Crosby, there are six players who are captains of their NHL team or have been in the past.
"We've got lots of guys that lead," said McDavid. "That's the beauty of this team. Everybody in that room is a leader in their room. That won't be an issue … we got tons of guys that can step up and fill the leadership void.
"Obviously, it's almost impossible to fill the player void (created by Crosby). But we'll do our best."