February 8, 2026 by Eric Friesen

Hockey Canada officially named Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid as an alternate captain for the men’s national team at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy on Sunday. Sidney Crosby from the Pittsburgh Penguins was named captain and Cale Makar from the Colorado Avalanche was also named an alternate captain.

The Newmarket, Ontario native has represented Canada seven times on the international stage, including the 2013 World U-17 Hockey Challenge, 2013 IIHF U18 World Championship (gold), 2014 and 2015 (gold) World Junior Championship, 2016 (gold) and 2018 IIHF World Championship and the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off (champions). McDavid also played for the 23-and-under North American squad at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.

As the consensus best player in the world and fifth-longest serving active captain in the NHL, McDavid was an obvious choice to wear an “A” at the upcoming Games. The 29-year-old was also part of the leadership group at the the NHL-sanctioned 4 Nations Face-Off last February, where he scored the tournament-winning goal in the championship game against Team USA.

While winning the 4 Nations Face-Off was undoubtedly one of the biggest moments of his career, playing in the Olympics will surely be another level altogether.

“It’s the Olympic Games, but it’s a hockey tournament at the end of the day, and we’re there to play hockey and we’re there to do a job,” McDavid told the Edmonton media on January 28. “It will be cool to experience the city and know what it’s like. I think the events are pretty spread out this year with things happening all over the place, so it might be a little bit of a unique experience. But we’re there to play a hockey tournament and are there to win.”

McDavid and Team Canada will open the preliminary round against Team Czechia on Thursday at 8:40 a.m. (MT).