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Doug Armstrong is stepping down from his role at Hockey Canada: he sees Sidney Crosby as the next GM

Originally posted on Dose.ca | Last updated Mar 17, 2026 10:20 AM ET

Doug Armstrong is stepping down from all his roles.
While Alex Steen is set to become the Blues' GM this summer (as previously announced, along with the fact that Armstrong will remain as president), we've now learned that another of Armstrong's positions will be vacated.
We're talking about the job of GM for Team Canada.

NEW for @TheAthletic,
Doug Armstrong steps down as Canada's Olympic GM: ‘It's time for a change'
My sitdown with Armstrong, who also steps down as Blues GM July 1 https://t.co/FqyddedYi0 via @NYTimes
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) March 17, 2026

Pierre LeBrun, who reported the news in an article published on The Athletic's website, notes that the GM would have left his position with Hockey Canada regardless of the outcome of the final.

In his view, it was time to move on.

But despite the loss to the Americans, Armstrong wouldn't change a thing. He would do things exactly the same way if he had to start the 2026 Games over.

But he's saying that after losing. Hearing Armstrong say he wouldn't change a thing leaves me with the same bitter taste in my mouth as Juan Soto, at the World Baseball Classic, saying his team is the best… after a semifinal loss to the U.S.

;

Juan Soto told @JeffPassan following Team Dominican Republic’ss defeat to Team USA in the WBC Semifinals that the Dominicans proved they had the best team in the competition pic.twitter.com/FPWJQwXqOV
— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) March 16, 2026

I hope that Hockey Canada, under its new boss, will adopt a mindset where the best players aren't left out of the national team.
By the way, who will be the next GM?
It might not work out for the next Olympic cycle for obvious reasons, but Doug Armstrong sees Sidney Crosby as a potential future GM of the Canadian team.

Of course, the fact that he's still playing complicates things. But it's still a nice show of confidence.
“I hope that one day, Sidney Crosby will lead the Canadian team. He has the hockey knowledge. He has the experience. He has the passion. He has drive and a purpose in everything he does.
I see that in Connor McDavid, too.” — Doug Armstrong

It's not uncommon to see stars leading the program. Steve Yzerman had the same kind of aura as Sid the Kid when he was given the job in the past.
But since Crosby is still playing, we'll have to wait before seriously considering it.

In a nutshell– Wow.

We're in for a big game against the United States tonight. https://t.co/4CDyAA1Uya
— Passion MLB (@passion_mlb) March 17, 2026
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— What a sequence.