Sidney Crosby said after Team Canada’s practice on Monday that he’ll be in the lineup for Canada’s first game of the 4 Nations Face-Off on Wednesday at 8 p.m. against Sweden. 

"It was busy," Crosby said of what the last week was like for him as he worked through an upper-body injury. "Just trying to see where I was at and get treatment and talk to everybody. It was a busy, busy week, but I'm happy to be here and excited to get going."

Crosby said he was "ruled out" for the Penguins' final two games before the break in New York and Philadelphia, and met with a number of doctors and Canada's coaches before determining he would be ready to suit up on Wednesday.

"I wanted to play the games prior to to the break and it wasn't really an option, given what happened," Crosby explained. "Whether it's playing for Pittsburgh or playing for Canada, you don't want to miss games. This is an awesome opportunity, something I haven't done in a long time. So I wanted to be part of this group, and obviously also want to make sure that I can play at the level that you need to compete here. Everybody seemed comfortable with that."

A number of Crosby's Team Canada teammates checked in on him through text messages throughout the process, including Drew Doughty, a late addition to the group himself after replacing the injured Alex Pietrangelo.

"I was texting him and seeing how he's doing, hoping he's going to play," Doughty said. "He looked good out there today, so I think we're all hopeful."

Crosby was a full participant in practice, skating on Canada’s second line alongside Mark Stone and Nathan MacKinnon. He skated on the top power-play unit with MacKinnon, Connor McDavid, Sam Reinhart and Cale Makar.

"It's exciting," Crosby said of the unit. "Obviously, a ton of talent, ton of skill, having to think and move quickly and all that sort of thing. Be instinctive, but also react to some of the plays that they make. I think that's fun, it's challenging. The biggest challenge is just becoming a team and getting sharp. Today was the first step for that, and it's fun to see the skill and the speed and just the talent."

This tournament will be the eighth time Crosby has represented Canada in an international tournament. He's won a pair of Olympic golds, a World Championship gold, a World Cup gold, World Junior gold and World Junior silver. Canada has won its last 25 consecutive games in tournament play when Crosby is in the lineup -- Crosby hasn't seen a loss at all in tournament play since Feb. 21, 2010 in a 5-3 preliminary loss to the U.S. in the Olympics.

Crosby has worn the 'C' for Canada every time he's represented his country for over a decade, going back to the 2014 Olympics. There was minor debate leading up to this tournament about who would captain Canada, and if it was time for Crosby to pass the torch to someone like McDavid ... a notion McDavid quickly shut down himself when asked about it, declaring that Crosby should be the captain. 

It was never a real debate -- it always should have been Crosby. And his effort in ensuring he's ready to play in the tournament despite his injury is just an example of his dedication to representing Canada when the opportunity presents itself. That's something the rest of the team takes notice of, and it can push them, too.

"He's a guy that carries so much weight," Canada's coach Jon Cooper said. "He's a polarizing figure. But there's so much humility that comes through and just bleeds through him. That's why people follow him. Gosh, you talk about wanting to play for your country? This kid is remarkable, the passion he has for it. It's a reason why he has a whole lot of wins and not a whole lot of losses when he plays in these events."