'I still love it': Sidney Crosby set to lead Canadian men's hockey team at another Olympics

Sam Reinhart stepped on the ice alongside the rest of Canada's talent-rich roster.

The country was preparing for the 4 Nations Face-Off last February — an appetizer for the NHL's Olympic return 12 months later — as the puck snapped around a lightning-quick practice.

Any nerves or first-day-of-school vibes had already washed away because of how Sidney Crosby treated familiar faces and newcomers alike, just as he has at the highest level for more than two decades.

"Incredible," said Reinhart, a winger with the Florida Panthers. "It's just how he makes you feel, how comfortable he makes you, and how normal he is off the ice that really sticks out."

Crosby is poised to lead the Canadian men's hockey team into the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Games as the sport's powerhouse looks to build on the gold-medal performance he first penned at the 2010 Olympics — thanks to a memorable overtime golden goal — before spearheading a relentless, grinding charge to the top in 2014.

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The 38-year-old from Cole Harbour, N.S., is a three-time Stanley Cup champion as captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins and owns an overcrowded trophy case, including most valuable player awards and scoring titles.

Crosby, truly, has done everything in the game. What keeps him going?

"I still love it," he said. "I'm still able to compete in a game that's getting faster and faster. I love an opportunity like 4 Nations to play for Canada, an opportunity this year to be part of the Olympic team. To see these guys up close and get to know them and see what makes them as good as they are, and get to know them on a personal level, that's a lot of fun.

"Something that I probably missed