Is Sidney Crosby playing tonight against Sweden? Team Canada captain speaks out on his availability for first 4 Nations game

Team Canada captain Sidney Crosby confirmed to the media after Wednesday's morning skate that he will play in the tournament opening game against Team Sweden.

Crosby has been dealing with an upper-body injury that sidelined him for the last two Penguins games before the break. However, the superstar center has participated in all of Team Canada's practices this week, which suggested that he would be healthy enough to play.

TSN hockey insider Pierre LeBrun shared the news on X (formerly Twitter).

"Sidney Crosby confirms he's playing tonight," LeBrun wrote on X.

Sidney Crosby will be a key piece of the puzzle for Team Canada. He remains one of the best players in the world, having racked up 58 points (17 goals, 41 assists) through 55 games during his age-37 season. Despite missing games with injury, he ranks 10th among Canadians in point scoring in the NHL.

He will also be relied upon for his leadership and experience at the international level. Crosby scored the Golden Goal for Canada in 2010 and captained his country to gold in the 2014 Winter Olympics. He also captained Canada to gold at the World Cup of Hockey in 2016.

Sidney Crosby will start on Nathan MacKinnon's left-wing

Sidney Crosby is slated to play on a line with Mark Stone and good friend Nathan MacKinnon.

Crosby will begin on the left wing, with MacKinnon in the middle, and Stone on the right side. The Nova Scotia natives train together in the offseason and have chemistry on and off the ice that could help them get off to a quick start to begin the best-on-best tournament.

He will also be a part of Canada's star-studded No. 1 power play unit that consists of Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, Sam Reinhart and Crosby. The second unit is no slouch either, including the likes of Mitch Marner, Brayden Point, Mark Stone, Shea Theodore and Josh Morrissey.

In the round-robin opener, the Penguins captain will be battling against two Pittsburgh teammates, Erik Karlsson and Rickard Rakell.

Crosby and Team Canada will face off against Team Sweden on Wednesday night to kick off the 4 Nations tournament. The puck drops at 8 p.m. EST at Bell Centre in Montreal.