Team Canada pulled off a miracle. After losing to their rivals to the south in the preliminary round, Canada secured the victory by a 3–2 score in overtime.
The overtime winner was of course Connor McDavid, who put this team on his shoulders all the way through the tournament to lead this team to victory. And while he was generous enough to credit the incredible hard work of his teammates in his post-game interview, there were moments throughout the tournament where McDavid showed why he is the greatest player in the world.
Canada’s recent best-on-best appearance
Just like in 2010, Team Canada went from losing to the USA in the first round to beating them in overtime by a 3–2 score. The goal that year was scored of course by Sidney Crosby, who enshrined himself in Canadian History with the goal that sealed it for the Canadians. The golden goal that lives in the heart of every Canadian. The moment where all of us can tell you exactly where you were when it was scored and exactly what happened when the puck went in the net like it was just yesterday.
And for 15 years, when you thought of Team Canada, you saw Crosby’s face. It was he who was Captain Canada. And even through the dark years of 2014 and beyond when NHL players were not in the Olympics, Captain Crosby was the face of this nation on the ice. Nobody remembers that it was Jonathan Toews that led the team in scoring that year or that Roberto Luongo finished with the worst save percentage of the five goalies that played the most in the tournament. All that matters was that moment.
Crosby has passed the torch onto McDavid
Just like in 2010, when then Captain Scott Nedermayer passed the torch to Crosby, this was the moment when Captain Crosby passed the torch on to McDavid. As good as Nathan MacKinnon and Crosby were through the tournament, this will go down as McDavid’s tournament. He was simply otherworldly in this one, and you could see the way that he inspired this team to victory.
Whether it was the way he was able to create room for players around him, forcing the American defenders to rush to him when he got the puck, or the little moments when he was able to glide through the middle of the ice completely untouched, it was incredible to see the impact that he had on this team. He made his teammates better just by being on the ice.
When you think of Team Canada, it will be this moment. The overtime goal that shattered American hearts and vindicated Canadians furious over the rhetoric from south of the border. It will be the pass from Mitch Marner, forever seen as shying away from big games, to the streaking McDavid who made no mistake but to put it top shelf on Connor Hellebuyck and seal the win for Canada.
McDavid is adding to his legacy
When you see the Canadian flag on a hockey jersey and think of Team Canada, it’s now McDavid as its face. The torch has been passed from Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia to Newmarket, Ontario. From one generational talent to the next. From the great number 87 up to the superstar wearing 97.
Both players will go down in infamy as some of the greatest to ever play the game, but this team now belongs to McDavid and the torch has been passed.
Every generation has its heroes. The player that kids from coast to coast look up to as their generation’s hero on the ice. The player that they pretend to be on the neighbourhood rink or against their garage doors. When those kids don their kid-sized Canada jerseys, the fights will be about who gets to be McDavid and be the hero of the game.
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