Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby and New York Islanders center John Tavares could have big roles for Team Canada at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.

They'll know what it takes to play for coach Mike Babcock, who was named Team Canada coach Thursday.

Crosby and Tavares were teammates under Babcock with Canada at the 2014 Sochi Olympics. Canada won all six of its games and outscored its opponents 17-3. It won the gold medal with a 3-0 shutout of Sweden.

Crosby was captain of the 2014 team and played for Babcock at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, when Canada also won gold.

Each player said Babcock's ability to communicate his plans was key to winning.

"Obviously guys have to understand their roles pretty quickly," Crosby said. "So whether it's the guys he puts together or what he communicates along with the whole coaching staff, I think it's been pretty clear. You know what your role is going to be and how you are going to help the team, and I think that is really important."

TORONTO -- Doug Armstrong had a difficult decision to make when it came time to name the Team Canada coach for the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.

The evidence Armstrong, GM of Team Canada, had to consider was Mike Babcock's international success vs. Joel Quenneville's recent run of success with three Stanley Cups in six seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks.

In the end, Armstrong went with Babcock, 52, who not only steered the Detroit Red Wings to the 2008 Stanley Cup but led Canada to back-to-back Olympic gold-medal performances in 2010 (Vancouver) and 2014 (Sochi). Babcock is in his first season as coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Quenneville was named as one of Team Canada's assistant coaches, along with Claude Julien of the Boston Bruins, Barry Trotz of the Washington Capitals and Bill Peters of the Carolina Hurricanes.

TORONTO -- Toronto Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock will get another shot at gold.

Babcock, 52, was named coach of Team Canada for the 2016 World Cup of Hockey on Thursday. He coached Canada to the gold medal at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics and 2014 Sochi Olympics.

"It's a huge honor to be given this opportunity to represent Canada again," Babcock said. "Whether it was '97 at the World Juniors, '04 at the Worlds or the last two Olympics in '10 and '14, you feel very blessed and honored to represent your country. I'm thrilled that Doug Armstrong and Tom Renney [Hockey Canada president/CEO] have given me this opportunity."

Team Canada general manager Doug Armstrong also named Chicago Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville,Boston Bruins coach Claude Julien, Washington Capitals coach Barry Trotz and Carolina Hurricanes coach Bill Peters as Babcock's assistants.

Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby will be among the initial 16 players named to Team Canada's roster for the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, Team Canada general manager Doug Armstrong said Thursday.

"There is no discussion about Sidney," Armstrong said. "He will be part of the first group of 16 players."

Armstrong, also GM of the St. Louis Blues, did not say when other players would be announced.

Mike Babcock will be announced as coach of Team Canada for the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, according to a report by ESPN.com.

A press conference to announce Babcock, 52, as coach is tentatively scheduled for Toronto's MasterCard Centre for Hockey Excellence on Thursday. Joel Quenneville of the Chicago Blackhawks and Claude Julien of the Boston Bruins also will be part of the coaching staff, according to the report.

Babcock, who is in his first season as coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs, coached Canada to Olympic gold in Vancouver in 2010 and in Sochi in 2014.

The 2016 World Cup of Hockey might last a couple of weeks, but it will occupy the hearts and minds of Team Canada's fans for the better part of the next year.

Canadians will passionately debate who should be the seventh defenseman, down to whether he should be a left-handed or right-handed shot.

It's often said Canada could assemble two competitive teams for a best-on-best international tournament. The same goes for Canada's coaching staff.

Team Canada general manager Doug Armstrong has a deep and talented pool of candidates who could guide Canada when it attempts to continue its run of excellence on the international stage, which includes gold at the 2010 and 2014 Olympics, as well as the 2015 IIHF World Championship.

There are reports Team Canada could name its coach later this month.

EDMONTON -- Edmonton Oilers coach Todd McLellan enjoyed his time with Canada at the 2015 IIHF World Championship this past spring, which made accepting the position as coach of Team North America for the 2016 World Cup of Hockey an easy decision.

General managers Peter Chiarelli of the Oilers and Stan Bowman of the Chicago Blackhawks, named McLellan coach of Team North America on Friday.

The team will consist of players 23 years old or younger. The tournament will be held at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, from Sept. 17 to Oct. 1, 2016.

LONDON and NEW YORK - IMG, a global leader in sports, fashion and media, and the National Hockey League today announced a multiyear agreement to market and distribute global media rights for the NHL outside the U.S., Canada and Nordic countries, beginning with the 2016-17 NHL® season.

In addition, IMG will work alongside the National Hockey League Players' Association and the NHL to make the 2016 World Cup of Hockey available to the same territories worldwide.

After the United States assembled its team for the 1996 World Cup of Hockey, Hockey Hall of Fame member Brian Leetch remembers there was a different feeling than when he skated with earlier USA Hockey teams.

"That was the first tournament I remember going into that … we didn't go in with just hope that we could catch some breaks and our goaltending would play well and we could win some games," said Leetch, who was U.S. captain. "We went in with the expectation that we could win that tournament."

Leetch did his part, tying for the tournament scoring lead among defensemen with seven points, all assists.

Here's a Q&A with Leetch on his World Cup memories and what he thinks of the return of the World Cup in 2016:

BUFFALO -- USA Hockey made an excellent choice in hiring John Tortorella as coach of Team USA for the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, former NHL player Jeremy Roenick said.

Roenick is serving as a coach for one of the teams in the CCM/USA Hockey All-American Prospects Game at First Niagara Center on Thursday (7 p.m. ET, NHLN). USA Hockey announced Tortorella as coach on Monday.

"I was happy for him," Roenick said Thursday. "He was my assistant coach when I played for the Phoenix Coyotes, and I have a great relationship with him. I like that passion that he brings to the game. He wears his heart on his sleeve.

"Yes, he does get very verbal and is tough on players, but I like that type of coach. I like that type of motivator, and he deserves to be in hockey."