Crosby good to go for 4 Nations Face-Off

Team Canada captain Sidney Crosby will play in Wednesday's 4 Nations Face-Off opener against Sweden, he told reporters Monday, including TSN's Chris Johnston.

Crosby's status was in question after he missed the Pittsburgh Penguins' last two games before the break with an upper-body injury. The decision to play in the tournament was left up to him.

Canada had until 2 p.m. ET on Monday to name a replacement or not. Winnipeg Jets forward Mark Scheifele was reportedly on standby.

Crosby centered a line between Nathan MacKinnon and Mark Stone at Canada's first practice Monday. He also held the net-front position on a loaded top power-play unit alongside MacKinnon, Cale Makar, Connor McDavid, and Sam Reinhart.

Crosby won gold with Canada at the 2010 Olympics, 2014 Olympics, and 2016 World Cup of Hockey, serving as captain for the latter two.

The 37-year-old has tallied 17 goals and 41 assists in 55 games with the Penguins this season.