Pittsburgh Review

The opening ceremony of the 4 Nations Face-Off at Bell Centre featured hockey legends from each participating country. Teemu Selanne represented Finland, Mike Richter for the United States, Daniel Alfredsson for Sweden, and Mario Lemieux for Canada. Lemieux received a warm welcome from his hometown crowd in Montreal.

Sidney Crosby, captain of Team Canada, also received a strong reception. During the game against Sweden, Crosby assisted on Mitch Marner's overtime goal to secure a 4-3 victory. "You tell 8- or 10-year-old Mitch that he's scoring an overtime goal assisted by Sidney Crosby... it's pretty crazy," Marner commented.

Crosby was named Player of the Game/First Star. Reflecting on the event, he said, "Tonight was special... Just grateful to be in this position." He played left wing alongside Nathan MacKinnon and Mark Stone. "I’ve played the wing different times over the years," Crosby noted before the game.

Canada's head coach Jon Cooper praised both Lemieux and Crosby: "To sit there and watch Mario Lemieux and Sidney Crosby stand at center ice together was pretty special." During Canada's early power play, Connor McDavid set up a highlight-reel play with Crosby assisting MacKinnon's goal.

Mark Stone expressed admiration for playing with Crosby: "The way he goes about his business... still playing at a crazy high level at his age."

Sweden put up a fight with Rickard Rakell and Erik Karlsson contributing significantly. However, Canada maintained its undefeated streak with Crosby since 2010. Cooper emphasized Crosby's impact: "He will go down as the greatest player to ever represent his country."