NHL analyst delivers his take on Jon Cooper hailing Sidney Crosby as "greatest player" to represent Canada over Gretzky, Lemieux, others

On Thursday, TSN analyst Frankie Corrado discussed Jon Cooper’s statement about Sidney Crosby. Crosby showed his leadership again in Canada’s 4 Nations Face-Off opener. He had three points, including an assist on Mitch Marner’s overtime goal in a 4-3 win over Sweden.

Team Canada's head coach Cooper said Crosby will go down as the "greatest player" to represent his country. He ranked him above Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux.

Corrado joined Domino's That's Hockey, where he shared his perspective on Jon Cooper's bold statement.

"He's not wrong," Corrado said. "Like Sidney Crosby embodies everything that it means to be, you know, the greatest Canadian hockey player on the men's side, for sure. But you know what he's done."

Corrado mentioned Crosby’s success in the World Juniors, Olympics, World Cup of Hockey, and Men's World Championships. Corrado said Crosby has done it all and, most importantly, won it all:

"Crosby has seen it all. He's done it all. And most importantly, Rod, he has won it all. And the way he's done it, he's never had a misstep along the way. It really is incredible that, you know, time and time again, when these teams and groups gather, everyone looks to Sidney Crosby to lead the way.

Corrado praised Crosby for leading with grace and earning respect from other players:

"And I think John Cooper is certainly on to something when he says that."

Next, Sidney Crosby and Canada will face the USA on Saturday.

Canada's coach Jon Cooper praised Sidney Crosby as the "greatest player"

After Sidney Crosby helped Canada win against Sweden on Wednesday, coach John Cooper did not hold himself back. Cooper said, via The Hockey News:

"You need a lift when their team is pushing and he sets it up with the helper. You need a lift in overtime and he's the one who sets it up. It's no coincidence his record while wearing a Canadian jersey.

"That's not a fluke. He will go down as the greatest player to ever represent his country. If not, he's on the Mount Rushmore, for sure."

In September, Crosby signed a team-friendly contract extension for two more years with the Penguins worth $17,400,000. This season, he has scored 17 goals and 41 assists, on pace for another 80+ points season. He has won two Olympic gold, three Stanley Cups and two Hart Trophy.

So, clearly, there's no point in denying that Crosby has done so much for hockey and for Canada.