Oilers superstar McDavid eager to play alongside ageless Crosby at 4 Nations tourney

Connor McDavid has waited a long time.

The superstar centre set to headline Canada's roster at the 4 Nations Face-Off was a vocal proponent of getting NHL players back on the international stage and under the brightest lights.

Playing against many of the game's best with the red Maple Leaf on his sweater at the highest level is something the Edmonton Oilers captain dreamt about long before entering the league.

That tournament now just over the horizon, McDavid has another item on his bucket list set to be checked off next month — suiting up alongside Sidney Crosby.

"I've gone to a couple of camps with him," the 27-year-old Richmond Hill, Ont., native said of his childhood idol. "This will be just that much better."

Crosby continues to beat back Father Time at age 37 with 15 goals and 38 assists for 53 points in 52 games this season for his Pittsburgh Penguins.

The calendar keeps flipping. The three-time Stanley Cup champion and two-time Olympic gold medallist largely remains the same.

"It's unbelievable," McDavid said during a recent interview while filming a commercial shoot for Rogers, a 4 Nations Face-Off sponsor. "Everything that he's done for the game, everything that he's accomplished, and the fact that he's still playing hockey and playing at such a high level, it's incredible."

The 4 Nations showcase, the closest hockey has come to a best-on-best tournament since the 2016 World Cup, is set to run from Feb. 12 to 20. The United States, Sweden and Finland make up the rest of the field.

"It's getting harder and harder to not think about it," McDavid said.

The No. 1 pick at the 2015 draft missed an opportunity to play for Canada at the 2018 Olympics when the NHL skipped the event for business reasons after going to