Crosby, McDavid, Pietrangelo named to Team Canada for 2022 Olympics

The Canadian men's hockey team for the Beijing Olympics is starting to take form.

Edmonton Oilers forward Connor McDavid, Pittsburgh Penguins forward Sidney Crosby, and Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Alex Pietrangelo are the first three names submitted to be part of the Canadian team, general manager Doug Armstrong confirmed, according to NHL.com's Mike Zeisberger.

Participating teams were asked to each declare three players last month.

"It goes without saying that Sid is Sid, Connor is Connor, and Alex has got a wealth of experience from the (2014 Sochi Olympics) team, to the (World Cup of Hockey 2016) team, to the captain of a Stanley Cup champion (St. Louis Blues in 2019)," Armstrong said Friday. "Those guys are at the top of their game in the league, too, and they're proven winners."

This will be Crosby's third time playing for Canada at the Olympics. He delivered the memorable golden goal at the 2010 Winter Games and led the team to gold again in 2014 as its captain.

Armstrong didn't go as far as to name Crosby the captain of this year's team, but he sees him as the undisputed leader.

"He'll lead our team. He'll be a great help to the coaching staff by delivering their message to the rest of the players," Armstrong said. "To me, he's just Sidney Crosby. He's the best player on the planet for more than a decade."

McDavid, 24, has yet to play on an Olympic team after the NHL didn't send players in 2018. This will mark Pietrangelo's second appearance after playing in 2014.

The next item on the agenda for Armstrong and Team Canada's management group is to submit a list on Oct. 15 of 55 players who will be candidates to make the team in Beijing, which begins on Feb. 4.