A little adversity is exactly what Canada needed
“We’re putting our country through it.”
You sure did, Connor McDavid.
Two playoff games. Two late comebacks. If you’re a smartwatch wearer, your hunk of metal has probably checked in on you a few times now. Canada’s men’s Olympic hockey team hasn’t made things easy for itself over the past few days. But that’s showbiz, baby. NHLers are back in the Olympics, and there’s been no lack of drama.
Well, sort of. Canada cruised to three one-sided victories in the round-robin, beating Czechia 5-0, Switzerland 5-1 and France 10-2. They easily earned a bye to the quarterfinals, with just about everyone projecting them to move smoothly through the playoffs.
But if it wasn’t for a late goal from Nick Suzuki – a depth forward on this team – Canada wasn’t even going to escape the game against Czechia. It all came together in the end, but it wasn’t pretty. Then, Canada found itself trailing 2-0 to Finland on Friday, only for Nathan MacKinnon to win the game off a last-minute goal in the third period, completing a near-improbable comeback.
Canada led for 35 seconds against Finland and for five minutes against Czechia. For a team that hadn’t trailed with NHL participation since the 2010 round robin, it felt unthinkable.
Both of Canada’s playoff opponents so far have dealt with their fair share of adversity. The Czechs lost two of their three preliminary round games, while Finland opened the tournament with a shocking loss to Slovakia. Had it not been for an outstanding third period against Switzerland, they wouldn’t have made it out of the quarterfinal, either.
Oh, and Sidney Crosby got injured, with no assurances that he’ll be ready for the gold medal game, either.
But this could be exactly what Canada needs. Remember 2014? It feels like most Canadians remember the quarterfinal game against Latvia more than the gold medal shutout against Sweden. Most expected Canada to roll over the Latvians, only for Kristers Gudlevskis to steal the spotlight in Canada’s eventual 2-1 win. From there, Canada went on to shut out the United States and Sweden to win gold in one of the most incredible displays of defensive dominance the Olympics have ever seen.
So, yeah. Getting the pulse racing every now and then might not be a bad thing.
The team’s depth has really shone through over the past two games. What started as the Connor McDavid and Macklin Celebrini show has turned into more of a true team effort. Nick Suzuki and Mitch Marner banded together to turn things around on Wednesday, while Sam Reinhart and Shea Theodore helped tie the game against the Finns. A total of 15 players have at least one goal, while 20 of the 22 total skaters have at least a single point. McDavid and Celebrini have still carried the mail with 23 points combined over five games. But at least Friday proved they can win without them finding the back of the net.
Whether or not Crosby is good to go on Sunday, Canada needs everyone to contribute again. The past two games have shown Canada can grind opponents down to the core. They’re fast, they’re skilled – but you need more than that to win at this level. You need lucky breaks. The mistakes need to be heavily, heavily limited. You can’t keep forcing the comebacks late – eventually, it’ll wear you down. And Canada has seen firsthand that scoring goals, even when you’re dominating puck possession, is easier said than done.
When Canada sends its best to any international tournament, everyone expects greatness. It’s gold or bust. There’s been plenty of doubt passed around the past few days, but they’ve managed to find a way to survive twice now. The job’s definitely not done yet, though.
Every winning team needs to deal with a bit of affliction. It’s how you learn how to adapt and grow. In the Stanley Cup playoffs, you have time to figure things out and bounce back. In single-game elimination, not so much. Canada’s adversity came a bit later than the rest of the pack, but they’ve managed to fight through it. And it absolutely will make them better for it.
Canadian hockey fans: breathe. Take a rest. You’ll need all the serenity you can get until Sunday. It’s not going to get easier.
PRESENTED BY DAILY FACEOFF’S OLYMPIC COVERAGE
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