After completing his rookie season with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Crosby competed in the 2006 IIHF World Championship as an alternate captain for Canada.
Scoring a tournament-best eight goals and eight assists in nine games, he became the youngest player ever to win a World Championship scoring title.
Despite his performance, Canada failed to medal, being shut-out by Finland 5–0 in the bronze medal game.
Crosby was named the tournament's top forward and to the competition's all-star team.

After omitted from Canada's Olympic team in 2006, Crosby was named to the Canadian roster on December 30, 2009, as an alternate captain for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
He scored the game-winning shootout goal for Canada in the second game of the preliminary round against Switzerland.
After going pointless in the quarter- and semi-final against Russia and Slovakia respectively, Crosby scored the winning goal 7 minutes and 40 seconds into overtime against the United States in the gold medal game.
The goal has later become known as the "Golden Goal" due to it being scored in the gold medal game.
It is also regarded by some as "Canada's most iconic sports moment".

Following the Penguins' second-round elimination in the 2010 playoffs, Crosby declined an invitation to join Canada midway through the 2010 IIHF World Championship in Germany.
Crosby was selected to represent Canada at the 2014 Winter Olympics and was later named team captain.
Canada won gold, with Crosby contributing one goal and two assists in six games.
He scored his only goal in the final against Sweden, further establishing his reputation as "a player who rises up in big games".
In 2015, Crosby captained Canada to its first World Championship title since 2007, with the team winning all 10 games and scoring 66 goals.
Crosby, scoring four goals and seven assists in nine games, became the 26th member of the Triple Gold Club.
He is the first member of the club to captain all three championship teams, and the first member to be a first overall NHL draft pick.

In 2016, Hockey Canada named Crosby captain for the 2016 World Cup of Hockey in Toronto.
Crosby, who led the tournament in scoring with ten points, helped Team Canada win the championship, and was named the Most Valuable Player.
He joined Bobby Orr and Wayne Gretzky as the only players to win the Conn Smythe, Hart Memorial Trophy and World Cup MVP.
Team Canada head coach Mike Babcock described Crosby as a serial winner, saying, "He's that high-end competitor.
He's a good leader because he tries to do it right all the time.
He demands a lot out of himself.
In doing so, he demands a lot out of his teammates."
After completing his rookie season with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Crosby competed in the 2006 IIHF World Championship as an alternate captain for Canada. Scoring a tournament-best eight goals and eight assists in nine games, he became the youngest player ever to win a World Championship scoring title. Despite his performance, Canada failed to medal, being shut-out by Finland 5–0 in the bronze medal game. Crosby was named the tournament's top forward and to the competition's all-star team.
After omitted from Canada's Olympic team in 2006, Crosby was named to the Canadian roster on December 30, 2009, as an alternate captain for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. He scored the game-winning shootout goal for Canada in the second game of the preliminary round against Switzerland. After going pointless in the quarter- and semi-final against Russia and Slovakia respectively, Crosby scored the winning goal 7 minutes and 40 seconds into overtime against the United States in the gold medal game. The goal has later become known as the "Golden Goal" due to it being scored in the gold medal game. It is also regarded by some as "Canada's most iconic sports moment".
Following the Penguins' second-round elimination in the 2010 playoffs, Crosby declined an invitation to join Canada midway through the 2010 IIHF World Championship in Germany. Crosby was selected to represent Canada at the 2014 Winter Olympics and was later named team captain. Canada won gold, with Crosby contributing one goal and two assists in six games. He scored his only goal in the final against Sweden, further establishing his reputation as "a player who rises up in big games". In 2015, Crosby captained Canada to its first World Championship title since 2007, with the team winning all 10 games and scoring 66 goals. Crosby, scoring four goals and seven assists in nine games, became the 26th member of the Triple Gold Club. He is the first member of the club to captain all three championship teams, and the first member to be a first overall NHL draft pick.
In 2016, Hockey Canada named Crosby captain for the 2016 World Cup of Hockey in Toronto. Crosby, who led the tournament in scoring with ten points, helped Team Canada win the championship, and was named the Most Valuable Player. He joined Bobby Orr and Wayne Gretzky as the only players to win the Conn Smythe, Hart Memorial Trophy and World Cup MVP. Team Canada head coach Mike Babcock described Crosby as a serial winner, saying, "He's that high-end competitor. He's a good leader because he tries to do it right all the time. He demands a lot out of himself. In doing so, he demands a lot out of his teammates."
Sidney Crosby