Mitch Marner Shares Thoughts on Opportunity to Represent Canada with Sidney Crosby

Mitch Marner's disappointment turned into excitement after Sidney Crosby was a full participant in Team Canada's first practice for the 4 Nations Face-Off on Monday and confirmed that he's a go for the tournament.

While Marner skated on Team Canada's top line at practice on Monday with Connor McDavid and Sam Reinhart, sharing the ice with Crosby as a teammate was certainly something Marner had been looking forward to for a very long time.

The pending unrestricted free agent noted that he is going to do his best to pick the brain of the greatest player of his generation over the next couple of weeks to figure out what he can apply to his game and take the Leafs on a deep playoff run.

This will be Marner's fifth time representing Team Canada after wearing the red and white at the U-17s, U-18's, World Juniors and World Championship finishing sixth, first, third and second, respectively.

The 27-year-old currently leads the Leafs with 71 points, 16 more than William Nylander and is looking to cash in with a major contract extension at some point this season with the Leafs or perhaps somewhere else on July 1st.

However, many believe that Marner's future with Toronto depends on the post-season success of the club. Guiding the Leafs on a deep playoff run is something Marner is looking to learn from Crosby and others on Team Canada over the next couple of weeks, while ensuring Canada remains at the top of the hockey world.