TORONTO — When Sidney Crosby first stepped on the international stage, Team Canada fell flat.

It was 13 years ago in the summer of 2003 and Crosby had just turned 16. He was by far the youngest player on an under-18 squad shooting for an eighth consecutive gold medal at the junior World Cup. Canada finished a distant fourth, trounced 8-2 by the hometown Czechs in the bronze-medal game.

It was by no means a preview of what was to come for Crosby on the world stage. He has won nearly everything there is to win while wearing the Maple Leaf — except the World Cup of Hockey, which he will play in for the first time later this week.

He has won two Stanley Cups with the Pittsburgh Penguins, and Crosby has come up golden at the world juniors, world championships and twice at the Olympics.

“I feel like every time you put on a Team Canada jersey, you’re representing your country, there’s a lot of pride that comes with that,” Crosby said Thursday at World Cup media day.

His “golden goal” at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver stands as one of the most impactful goals in the country’s history. Indeed, Crosby has met expectations on the international stage, despite the bright spotlight and increased pressure that comes with being the most hyped player of his generation.

“For Sid and a lot of these kids coming up, they have a little bit of an unfair target on their back at all times,” said Ryan Getzlaf, a frequent teammate with Canada. “People expect so much out of them on a daily basis that they forget that they’re still players and they’re still humans. It’s part of the role I guess that he’s taken on his back and he’s done a great job with it.”