Connor McDavid is ready to take Canada's leadership mantle from Sidney Crosby

MILAN — Sidney Crosby scored one of the biggest goals in Canada's hockey history to win gold on home ice at the Vancouver Olympics in 2010. Since Sochi in 2014, he has been captain every time he represented his country.

For a long time the best hockey player in the world, winning the Stanley Cup three times and the gold medal at the Olympics twice, Crosby has since been passed for that distinction by Connor McDavid, now his teammate at the Games in Milan. Crosby was more than willing to let McDavid wear the ''C'' over him, but Hockey Canada chose to stick with the respected elder statesman for the NHL's return to this stage.

''He moves between management and coaches and players with great ease,'' Canada general manager Doug Armstrong said. ''He's as good a leader as I've been around and I've seen.''

At some point the leadership mantle will go to McDavid, from No. 87 to No. 97, and Crosby's injury at the Olympics may force Canada's captain transition to happen earlier than planned. If Crosby is unable to play in the semifinals Friday, rules require someone has the ''C'' on his chest and that will almost certainly be McDavid, Canada's captain in waiting.

''Those two, it's Sid and then Connor who's kind of filling in his shoes and kind of taking on that role,'' said Macklin Celebrini, Canada's youngest player at 19. "They're different in the way that they carry themselves, but both of them are awesome people and awesome teammates.''

McDavid is a man on a mission

This is the 38-year-old Crosby's third Olympics. It's the first for the 29-year-old McDavid, who is in his prime but a victim of the dozen-year gap between NHL appearances.

''He's doing everything," Crosby said. "Whether it's with the puck without the puck, (being) physical, he's leading by example in every possible way. He's poised, and guys have taken some runs out of him. He just continues to play. I think he's (got) a lot of focus that way. He's been leading the way.''

Doughty, Canada's second-oldest player at 36, has been on the wrong end of McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers knocking him and the Los Angeles Kings out of the playoffs in each of the past four years. That means he has had a front-row seat to McDavid's brilliance when hockey is at its toughest.

He has one again, only this time Doughty is happy about it.

''I don't know if he's playing better or what, but it's obviously on a bigger stage,'' Doughty said. "For him to be able to handle that pressure and play the way he's playing, it's pretty special.''

Crosby was playing great until he got injured

''We didn't want this to be Sid's last game at this Olympics, so it was big motivator for the guys coming out,'' coach Jon Cooper said, boiling down Crosby's message to, ''Go get it, boys.''

''There was a lot more than that. But he's a true leader. And they don't want this to be the end of the tournament for him.''

Crosby's status for the semifinal Friday against Finland is uncertain. Cooper said Crosby has not been ruled out for that game or the rest of the Olympics.

''If he can play, he's definitely going to,'' Cooper said after practice Thursday.

McDavid is already acting like a leader for Canada

''He's a great leader for us,'' goaltender Jordan Binnington said. "He wants the puck. He wants to make a difference. He's excited to play. He brings great energy, and he's had a lot of big goals, contributed to a lot of big goals for us.''

Cooper has watched Canada's leadership situation evolve from the 4 Nations Face-Off a year ago, when players looked to Crosby, Doughty and Brad Marchand — older, more vocal players who were willing to speak up. That has shifted, with McDavid taking on a more substantial leading role this time around.

''He's much more — not that he wasn't comfortable — but I think there was a lot of uncertainty especially because we hadn't seen best on best and this group hadn't been together for so long,'' Cooper said. ''In this tournament, he's been fabulous.''

McDavid is quieter than Crosby and, even with all his individual accolades, has yet to hoist the Stanley Cup. Along the way, he has picked up a lot from Crosby about how to lead.

"Everybody here watches him and is trying to learn off him," McDavid said. ''Sid is just himself, and it doesn't need to be anything more or less. I think everybody's different in their own way."

''I can't say enough good things about him,'' Doughty said. ''Great guy off the ice, fun to hang around, and then when it's game time, he's dialed in and ready to go. And he puts that jersey on and he's the best player on the ice every night. It's crazy.''

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