With a 6-1 drubbing of Russia this afternoon in the World Hockey Championships, Canada secured their first gold medal at the tournament since 2007. For captain Sidney Crosby, though, the victory is even more special. With the win, Crosby joins the Triple Gold Club – hockey’s most prestigious list.

Sidney Crosby Joins the Triple Gold Club

The “club” is comprised of players who have won gold at both the Olympics and World Championships, as well as the Stanley Cup. Twenty-five players (Crosby is the 26th) and just one coach – sought-after free agent Mike Babcock – can call themselves members. Crosby is also the ninth Canadian player to win all three titles, and, impressively, the first player to win each of the championships as captain of his team.

The Pittsburgh Penguins centre won the Stanley Cup in 2009 over the Detroit Red Wings, after losing it to the same team the year before. He played a huge role in both of his Olympic gold medals – scoring the “golden goal” in overtime to lift Canada over the United States at the 2010 Vancouver games, and captaining the even more dominant Canadian team at the 2014 games in Sochi. And, today, he joined the exclusive club, scoring 11 points in 9 games, including a goal and an assist in the final.

So, many Canadians are thanking their lucky stars that the Penguins were knocked out of the playoffs early by the New York Rangers, allowing Crosby to join the team in the Czech Republic, for his first appearance at the World Championships. There’s little question that Sidney Crosby is now deserving of the title of “Captain Canada”.

Main Photo: Forward Sidney Crosby of Canada controls the puck during the semi final match Canada vs Czech Republic at the 2015 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championships on May 16, 2015 at the O2 Arena in Prague. AFP PHOTO / JONATHAN NACKSTRAND