An Olympic audition: 5 things to know about Canada's 4 Nations Face-Off roster

Alex Pietrangelo remembers what it felt like to watch Sidney Crosby up close at practice.

It's one thing to battle against top players like Crosby or Connor McDavid in the NHL. It's another thing entirely to pull on the same jersey, talk to them at the rink, and see how they work on the ice, day in and day out.

Pietrangelo teamed up with Crosby to win an Olympic gold medal in 2014, and a World Cup of Hockey title in 2016. But he's never found himself sharing the ice with both Crosby and McDavid, "generational talents" who make the game better.

The Vegas Golden Knights defenceman will get to do that for the first time this February as a part of Team Canada's entry at the 4 Nations Face-Off. The new NHL-hosted tournament that act as a key measuring stick ahead of NHL players' return to the 2026 Olympics in Italy, after missing the last two Games.

"The goal for all of us is to grow the game and have the game being seen worldwide," Pietrangelo told reporters on Thursday, a day after the 23-player rosters for all four countries were unveiled.

"You get two of the best players, if not the two best players playing with each other in certain situations … that's a pretty fun thing to watch."

Crosby and Pietrangelo are the connection to Team Canada's past. They represent Olympic gold in Sochi, and the defensive machine of a team that shut out Sweden in the gold-medal game. 

Joining them will be a host of players who have been Canada's present for a while, but who've never had the opportunity to pull on a Canadian sweater at the Olympics, including McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon.

The tournament, which also includes Sweden and Finland, begins Feb. 12 in Montreal. That city will split hosting duties with Boston, culminating in a