Sidney Crosby and Brad Marchand are getting to know each other quite well.
The Pittsburgh Penguins captain and Boston Bruins winger have battled many times on the ice over the last five or so seasons, and in September, they will be teammates for Team Canada at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey in Toronto.
Crosby recently was asked to name the “most exciting newcomer” to Team Canada, and he chose the Bruins’ leading goal scorer from last season.
“That’s tough,” Crosby told Sportsnet’s Luke Fox. “An interesting one for me is Brad Marchand.
“You’re so used to playing against him, you know the way he plays. Having him on your team is going to be so much more enjoyable than having to play against him. Having a local guy, someone who’s from the same area, I think that’s pretty special to be competing for Team Canada with someone like that.”
Crosby and Marchand are from the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and Fox notes they have trained together at times this summer. It wouldn’t be surprising if Crosby and Marchand played on the same line when the World Cup begins next month.
Marchand was one of just two or three natural wingers to make the roster. He and Jamie Benn are the only left wingers, but since Benn had so much success with Anaheim Ducks duo Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, it makes sense for Marchand to get a chance with Crosby at the World Cup.
Playing with Crosby in international play isn’t easy — just ask Rick Nash — but Marchand’s hard playing style should be a good match to the Penguins superstar’s playmaking ability.
Here are some potential line combos for Team Canada. It’s not an easy task putting these together, but that’s a problem Hockey Canada doesn’t mind having.
Brad Marchand–Sidney Crosby–Patrice Bergeron
Tyler Seguin–John Tavares–Steven Stamkos
Jamie Benn–Ryan Getzlaf–Corey Perry
Jeff Carter–Jonathan Toews–Claude Giroux
Thumbnail photo via Winslow Townson/USA TODAY Sports Images
