By KAREL JANICEK

Associated Press

Be aware: Sidney Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon join forces to play for Canada at the ice hockey world championship after 10 years.

As all eyes are on the NHL playoffs, the two major stars are in Europe for the worlds opening on Friday across the Swedish capital of Stockholm and Denmark’s city of Herning.

It is the final men’s international test before the 2026 Winter Games in Italy, where NHL players return to the Olympics after 12 years.

The two friends and neighbours in Halifax, Nova Scotia, were on the team that Crosby captained to gold at the 2015 worlds. By winning the tournament in Prague then, Crosby joined hockey’s Triple Gold Club, a small group of players who have won the Stanley Cup, the Olympics and the worlds.

These are the third worlds, and first since 2015 for Crosby, a three-time Stanley Cup winner (2009, ‘16 and ‘17) and double Olympic champion (2010 and ‘14). He’s captured gold for Canada at every international tournament, including the 2016 World Cup of Hockey and the 2005 world junior championship.

In February, the 37-yearold also shone alongside MacKinnon as he captained Canada to the 4 Nations Face-Off trophy, beating archrival the United States in overtime.

Crosby has behind him a 20th NHL season featuring 33 goals, 58 assists and 91 points in 80 games for the Pittsburgh Penguins, who missed out on the NHL playoffs.

MacKinnon opted to join Canada after his Colorado Avalanche were knocked out in the first round. It will be the fourth worlds and and first since 2017 for the 29-year-old center, who recorded the second highest points in the regular season — 116 — and added another 11 in the playoffs.

Crosby will also reunite with goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury who has just exited the NHL but postponed his retirement at age of 40 to play again with Crosby and at the worlds for the first time.

“It’ll be fun to go spend some time together and yell at him in practice a bit, keep him honest,” said Fleury, who won the Stanley Cup with the Penguins three times.

Among the rising stars, Canada includes the 18-yearold Macklin Celebrini, the top pick in the 2024 NHL draft who collected 63 points from 25 goals and 38 assists in his rookie season for the San Jose Sharks.

Canada is the most successful nation at the tournament with 28 titles and is a favorite every year no matter who is

Bruce Bennett/ Getty Images/TNS available. With Crosby and MacKinnon, it is definitely the team to beat.

OTHER CONTENDERS David Pastrnak is back for the defending champion Czech Republic after his Boston Bruins didn’t advance to the playoffs.

The Czechs beat Switzerland 2-0 in the final in Prague last year with Pastrnak scoring the winner. It was the seventh title won by the Czech Republic — or Czechia — since the 1993 breakup of Czechoslovakia. Pastrnak racked up 106 points in the NHL, reaching one hundred for the third straight season.

Utah captain Clayton Keller will also captain a U.S. that is seeking a first worlds medal since a bronze in 2021. Alternate captains, forward Tage Thompson of the Buffalo Sabres and forward Conor Garland of the Vancouver Canucks, were on that team four years ago. Columbus defenseman Zach Werenski and Boston net-minder Jeremy Swayman were on the team that was fifth last year.

Filip Forsberg will appear again for the Sweden team that beat Canada 4-2 in the bronze-medal game last year. The left winger will return home to play in two regular season games between Nashville and the Penguins in Stockholm in November as part of the the NHL global series. Others on the Sweden squad include New York Rangers forward Mika Zibanejad and New Jersey defenseman Jonas Brodin and goalie Jacob Markstrom.

The 2022 champion Finland struggled at the previous two worlds, finishing seventh and eighth, its worst results in decades. Nashville goalie Justus Annunen, Chicago forward Teuvo Teravainen and Rangers forward Juuso Parssinen hope to help turn things around.

Switzerland features a trio from New Jersey; forwards Nico Hischier and Timo Meier and defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler.

THE FORMAT The 16 teams are divided into two groups for the preliminary round. Canada is in Group A in Stockholm with Sweden, Finland, Austria, France, Latvia, Slovakia and newcomer Slovenia.

Group B in Herning includes the Czechs, Switzerland, the U.S., Denmark, Germany, another newcomer Hungary, Kazakhstan and Norway.

The top four in each group make the quarterfinals. From the semifinals, all games will be in Stockholm at the iconic Avicii Arena, previously known as Globen. The final and bronze-medal game are scheduled for May 25.