MILAN — With just minutes to go from being the favorite to win Olympic gold to being eliminated from the medal game, the Canadian men’s hockey team desperately tried to steady its churning nerves.
Canada’s players ostensibly tried to exude confidence and optimism on the bench after the Czech Republic’s Ondrej Palat scored to level Canada with less than eight minutes remaining in Wednesday’s quarterfinal. Yet even one of the most star-studded hockey players of all time is still prone to doubt.
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“You can’t completely avoid it,” Canadian defender Drew Doughty said. “You look at the bench and you see the guys we have on this team and you know no one is giving up and we have a good chance to come back. But as the minutes go by, you also think, ‘Oh my gosh. This is not ideal.'”
Nick Suzuki’s deflected shot came to the rescue with 3:27 left in the game, and the mood on the Canadian bench went from despair to frenzy. As Canada tied the score, Suzuki took a stick on Devon Toews’ wrist shot and redirected the ball through the legs of Czech goalie Lukáš Dostál.
The sight of the puck hitting the net prompted cheers from the pro-Canadian crowd that could be heard outside Santa Giulia Stadium. Arms shot into the air. Flags flying. Grown men danced in their seats and hugged each other.
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While Canada didn’t get the win until Mitch Marner scored less than two minutes into overtime, Suzuki’s goal will remain in hockey lore long after the Olympics are over. As Canada head coach Jon Cooper told reporters after the game, “Our country needed a goal. Nick Suzuki answered it.”
“Devin put the ball on my forehand side and let me bring it back to the net, which was awesome,” Suzuki said. “I wanted to do something to help the team, so taking the game into overtime was obviously a big goal.”
While Suzuki is one of the best two-way centers in the NHL, the Montreal Canadiens playmaker has yet to be able to showcase his array of skills at this Olympics. With Canada stacked with impressive talent at center, he was forced to play on the wing.
With Brad Marchand set to rejoin Team Canada for Wednesday’s quarterfinals, there was even talk before the game of Suzuki being a potentially healthy player. Hours later, all of Canada should be grateful that Cooper didn’t buy into that theory and kept his captain on the ice.
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Suzuki’s heroics began even before he found space in front of Dostal’s net. He tossed the puck into the offensive zone and then chose to chase it in the corner while the rest of his teammates headed to the bench for a line change.
When asked why he didn’t go to the bench either, Suzuki explained that he just wanted to “give the new guys some time to play.” Suzuki did more than that, beating the Czech Republic’s Filip Hronek to win the loose puck and keep possession.
“It was an elite game, winning that puck,” Marchand said. “It’s not just the tip. It’s the whole drama.”
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What happened next will never be repeated again, especially if Canada can go on to win Olympic gold. Suzuki feeds Seth Jarvis in the corner. Jarvis sets up an open Toews inside the blue line. As the 26-year-old entered space in front of the net, Toews fired the ball in Suzuki’s direction.
“I never stopped believing,” Doughty insisted.
Marchand added, “I’ve seen him do that multiple times against my team. It’s awesome when he’s on your side.”