Crosby, MacKinnon setting example with work ethic for Canada at 4 Nations Face-Off

BROSSARD, Quebec -- Sidney Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon never cease to amaze.

Just ask Canada defenseman Travis Sanheim.

There he was, sitting on the team bus Thursday morning, looking at the raging blizzard outside and wondering how few of his teammates would join him to make the 14-mile trek from the team’s downtown Montreal hotel to the optional practice across the St. Lawrence River in Brossard.

Backup goalies Adin Hill and Sam Montembeault were there. So, too, was forward Sam Bennett, who had been a healthy scratch in Canada’s thrilling 4-3 overtime victory against Sweden in the opening game of the 4 Nations Face-Off on Wednesday.

Like them, Sanheim did not play in the victory. However, he definitely will in Canada’s next game, a huge showdown against the United States on Saturday (8 p.m. ET; ABC, ESPN+, SN, TVAS), replacing Shea Theodore (upper body), who was injured against Sweden and is out for the tournament.

In the end, all four needed the work to keep their legs fresh and stay in game shape.

That wasn’t the case for the final two players to step onto the bus.

It was Crosby and MacKinnon.

“When I saw them walk on, I was a little shocked,” Sanheim said before breaking into laughter.

Just like he was when they got to the rink.

“I thought they came to have a cold tub or a hot tub,” he said.

It was an understandable conclusion. After all, both forwards had been key cogs in the victory, with MacKinnon scoring his team’s opening goal, and Crosby, the Canada captain, racking up three assists. Surely their bodies needed treatment after that.

Nope. That’s not why they’d come to Brossard.

“They were the first ones who hopped on the ice,” Sanheim said, shaking his head in disbelief. “I mean, that’s just who they are. They enjoy working and getting better at their craft.

“You can take a lot from them.”

There is a reason why Crosby and MacKinnon are among the elite players in the world. Work ethic is part of their hockey DNA. In their worlds, there are always weaknesses to address, details to iron out.

It’s that way when the two friends from Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia, skate and work out together every summer in the Halifax area. And it’s that way now.

In the process, their lead-by-example display comes as no surprise to coach Jon Cooper.

“Those two are hockey junkies,” he said. “It’s really cool to be part of it. Everything for them is about the game. They talk about the game, they live the game and you don’t see that a ton.

“And the thing is, when you rise to that level, you have a tendency to take your foot off the gas, or get used to the life. … I’ve watched it countless times with players. But those two, they don’t take it for granted.”

Traits that rub off on their teammates.

“You can see that players watch them,” Cooper said. “They watch what they do. And I think when they leave these events, you hope you take away the example of what leaders and guys that have passions for this, how they act, how they conduct themselves, how they show up at the rink, how long they’re at the podium, when they stop and talk to fans on the street, and all those things that promote the wellness of the game.”

Not to mention affecting the outcomes of games, like they helped to do on Wednesday.