(Reuters) - Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby was added to Canada's world hockey championship squad on Sunday after his team was eliminated from the National Hockey League (NHL) playoffs.
Crosby, who won the Hart Trophy as the NHL's most valuable player in 2007 and 2014, became available when the Penguins were ousted by the New York Rangers after five games of their first-round series.
The 27-year-old center has previously represented Canada six times during his illustrious career, most significantly at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics where he scored the game-winning goal against the United States in the gold medal final.
Crosby joins a strong Canadian roster that includes fellow forwards Claude Giroux (Philadelphia Flyers), Taylor Hall (Edmonton Oilers) and Tyler Seguin (Dallas Stars).
With his addition, the squad will total 21 players -- two goaltenders, five defensemen and 14 forwards.
The world hockey championships start on May 1 in Prague and Ostrava in the Czech Republic.
Canada will compete in Group A along with Sweden, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Latvia, France, Germany, and Austria.