- Canada goalie Jack Ivankovic didn’t hold back on what it was like sharing a room with Sidney Crosby
- Ivankovic had Crosby on his goalie mask long before the two were teammates at the 2026 Worlds
- Read below for the full quotes and where Ivankovic stands heading into the 2027 World Juniors
Jack Ivankovic doesn’t need a second to think about where Sidney Crosby ranks.
The Canada goalie shared a room with Crosby at the 2026 IIHF World Championship, and he was asked at the World Junior Summer Showcase in Windsor what stuck with him most.
“Just the way he carries himself on and off the ice, the way guys kind of lean for him for advice, and just the way he brings it every single night,” Ivankovic told NHL.com. “He’s the best player ever, I think.”
Crosby wasn’t on Canada’s original roster for that tournament. He got added late, and Ivankovic found out the same way the rest of the group did:
“We didn’t know if he was going to come or not, and then he got added to the team group chat, and I was kind of in shock,” the 19-year-old said. “The first thing came in, said hi to everyone. Just such a good person, such a normal guy.”
Then came the part he’ll be telling people about for years. Ivankovic already had Crosby on his goalie mask.
“It was a little funny when I showed it to him playing on the same team,” he said.
The two also went 1-on-1 during a skate.
“Learning how to read his release was a little tricky at first, but I think I got the hang of it by the end,” Ivankovic said. “It was fun getting to compete against him, battle for rebounds, and at the end play breakaways and just have fun together.”
Nashville’s 2025 second-round pick is trying to turn all of it into a third straight World Juniors. He dressed as the backup for all three Canada games at the Showcase:
That run ended with Saturday’s 7-2 loss to the United States. Catch how the finale went:
Ivankovic started three games in Canada’s bronze-medal run at the 2026 World Juniors. He followed that with a 2.15 goals-against average and a .921 save percentage across 35 games as a Michigan freshman.
Asked what the senior-team stretch did for him, he pointed to belief more than technique.
“It gives me that little boost that I’m able to play at that NHL level right now, and just confident about everything,” he said.
Canada opens the 2027 World Juniors on Dec. 26 in Edmonton, with games also in Red Deer through Jan. 5.
