Sidney Crosby, Auston Matthews Named Canada, USA Captains for 2025 4 Nations Face-Off

Sidney Crosby will captain Team Canada against Auston Matthews' Team USA in hockey's first best-on-best tournament since 2016.

Crosby and Matthews were named captains of their respective 2025 4 Nations Face-Off teams on Thursday. Aleksander Barkov will captain Team Finland, while Victor Hedman will lead Team Sweden.

The 4 Nations Face-Off is set to take place from Feb. 12 to Feb. 20 in Montreal and Boston.

The full list of captaincy groups for the tournament is below.

Team Canada

• Captain: Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins
• Alternate: Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers
• Alternate: Cale Makar, Colorado Avalanche

Team USA

• Captain: Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs
• Alternate: Matthew Tkachuk, Florida Panthers
• Alternate: Charlie McAvoy, Boston Bruins

Team Finland

• Captain: Aleksander Barkov, Florida Panthers
• Alternate: Sebastian Aho, Carolina Hurricanes
• Alternate: Mikko Rantanen, Carolina Hurricanes
• Alternate: Mikael Granlund, San Jose Sharks

Team Sweden

• Captain: Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning
• Alternate: Mattias Ekholm, Edmonton Oilers
• Alternate: Erik Karlsson, Pittsburgh Penguins
• Alternate: William Nylander, Toronto Maple Leafs

The full roster for each 4 Nations Face-Off team can be found here.

Crosby has captained the Penguins to three Stanley Cups since he took over the role in May 2007. After scoring a golden goal for Team Canada at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, Crosby served as captain when the team won a second consecutive Olympic gold in Sochi in 2014.

He has also captained Team Canada to wins at the 2015 IIHF World Championships and the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.

McDavid, who has captained the Oilers since 2016, said in October that it was a "no-brainer" Crosby should be named Team Canada's leader.

"He's Sidney Crosby and he's been there so many times and he's the guy," McDavid said, per NHL.com's Derek Van Diest.

Matthews was named captain of the Leafs after John Tavares stepped down from the position ahead of the 2024-25 season.

The reigning Rocket Richard trophy winner has not yet captained Team USA on the international stage, although he represented the United States at the 2016 World Junior Championships and played for Team North America at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.

Barkov, who was named the Panthers' captain ahead of the 2018-19 season, led his team to the franchise's first Stanley Cup last spring.

The accomplishment made him the first team captain from Finland to hoist the Cup, adding to a Team Finland resume that includes a bronze medal in Sochi in 2014 and a silver medal at the 2016 World Championships.

Hedman took over the Lightning captaincy following Steven Stamkos' departure after the 2023-24 season. He played a key role in the team's back-to-back Stanley Cup championships, including a Conn Smythe Trophy win in 2020.

The upcoming tournament will mark Hedman's first time serving as Team Sweden's captain since his NHL career began in 2009, per NHL.com's Tracey Myers.

The 4 Nations Face-Off kicks off with a Round Robin stage during which teams compete for a chance to play in the championship game. Crosby and Matthews will meet in the tournament for the first time when the United States takes on Canada on Saturday, Feb. 15 at the Bell Centre in Montreal.