Sidney Crosby breaks silence on his 4 Nations Face-Off participation

After practicing with the team on Monday morning, Team Canada captain Sidney Crosby confirmed that he'll be participating in the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament. This comes after he initially didn't directly address his injury state and participation in the upcoming tournament.

Crosby's status was up in the air due to an upper-body injury that had sidelined him for the last two Penguins games leading up to the break. It appears the time off has him healthy enough to represent his country at the 4 Nations.

TSN hockey insider Chris Johnston shared the news on X (formerly Twitter):

"Sidney Crosby say's he's good to go for the #4Nations -- he'll play Wednesday in the tournament opener against Sweden," Johnston wrote.

TSN shared more of Crosby's comments on X.

"Yeah it was busy, you know just trying to see where I was at, get treatment and talk to everybody. So yeah, it was a busy week, but happy to be here and just excited to get going," Crosby said.

At 37, the Penguins superstar has had another great season, producing 58 points (17 goals, 41 assists) through 55 games. He'll be heavily relied upon as one of the best players and leaders for Team Canada throughout the tournament.

Crosby won two Olympic gold medals in 2010 when he scored the Golden Goal and in 2014 when he captained Team Canada.

Sidney Crosby practiced in a top-six forward role and on the number one power-play unit

Sidney Crosby was seen practicing on one of Team Canada's top forward lines alongside Nathan MacKinnon and Mark Stone. He reunites with his good friend and fellow Nova Scotia native MacKinnon in what should be a dynamic duo.

The captain also participated with the number one power play unit which consisted of Connor McDavid, MacKinnon, Cale Makar and Sam Reinhart. Quite the star power, nobody can match the high-end talent Team Canada possesses.

Canada's other top forward trio saw McDavid centering Mitch Marner and Reinhart, while the second power-play unit included Brayden Point, Mitch Marner, Stone, Josh Morrissey and Shea Theodore.

Crosby and Team Canada will kick off the tournament in a matchup with Team Sweden on Wednesday night. The puck drops at 8 p.m. EST at the Bell Centre in Montreal.