CALGARY -- Nearly 16 years since his golden goal in Vancouver and almost 12 since he captained Canada to a second straight Olympic gold medal in Sochi, Sidney Crosby 's presence, leadership, experience and expected impact means, even at 38 years old, he is still arguably his nation's greatest weapon as it prepares for the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 this February.

"We talked yesterday about if there is any advantage any more for Canadians or for our Canadian team, and there is. There's one, and it's Sidney Crosby," said Scott Salmond, Hockey Canada's senior vice president of high performance and hockey operations. "When you look at our biggest competition, I don't think anyone else has that. It can't be overstated."

Crosby is one of 41 NHL players here this week at Hockey

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