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BRAD MARCHAND’S LATE GOAL GIVES CANADA 2-1 WIN OVER EUROPE AND A WORLD CUP VICTORY.
On the morning of the World Cup of Hockey final, the talk wasn’t so much about whether Canada would win. It was by how much.
That’s where we are with the men’s hockey program.
We expect dominance. In Game 1 against Europe, Canada had played its worse game of the tournament and still managed to come out with a 3-1 win. It was as embarrassing an outcome as you could ask for — minus losing, of course.
This this time, said the players, they not only wanted to win but make a statement.
“I think after that game, it didn’t feel like a normal win for us with the way that we played,” said Team Canada forward Logan Couture. “You win the game but you know we didn’t play well. We expect a lot out of ourselves.”
Cocky? Totally. But what do you expect? This was a country that went undefeated in the 2010 Olympics in Sochi — they allowed just three goals — and had steamrolled through this year’s World Cup of Hockey without a loss. When Europe kept things close in Game 1, the thinking was it was more a reflection of how poorly Canada had played and not the other way around.
And then Game 2 began and Zdeno Chara snuck a shot over Carey Price’s shoulder at 6: 26 in the first period and things got interesting. Canada, which was dominant to the point where its games were boring, finally got challenged.
That they managed to push back with two goals in the final three minutes of the third period to win 2-1 might not have been the kind of statement that Couture was talking about. But it sure made for some high drama.
Throughout the tournament, we have bemoaned the fact that the gap between Canada and the rest of the world was so massive that the World Cup should put its name on the line and adopt a Ryder Cup format that would actually have an all- world all- star team challenge the host country. Even then, most would still put money on Canada winning.
You have to think some of that talk entered into Europe’s dressing room. This was a made- up team comprised of eight different countries, but the players still had pride. After losing in Game 1, they were genuinely upset at how close they were to victory. They were probably even more upset at what people were saying about them. This wasn’t the start Canada had hoped for. Come to think of it, this wasn’t the opponent Canada had expected.
Maybe that’s a good thing. For the first time in this tournament, Canada had a game where the outcome wasn’t inevitable. For the first time, Canada was challenged. It might not have been on par with Sidney Crosby’s golden goal in 2010. And it still ended the way everyone expected.
But the comeback should be something fans actually remember years from now.
Playing the same structured defensive style that led to surprising wins against the United States and Sweden, Europe was a frustrating opponent. At times, it seemed as though the entire roster was made up of two- way forwards who relentlessly backchecked, blocked shots and broke up passes.
Europe’s players didn’t go into a defensive shell. If anything, they pressed for more goals. Canada was outshot 12- 8 in the first period. By the end of the second, the shots were 27-21 in favour for Europe.
There were foolish mistakes, like when Ryan Getzlaf made a no- look pass in his own end that led to a breakaway. Or when Drew Doughty attempted a spino- rama in the neutral zone and was stripped of the puck for an odd man rush.
If not for Price, who faced far too many breakaways and oddman rushes, this could have been a blowout. At the other end, Jaroslav Halak was near perfect. When he wasn’t, his post certainly was.
On Canada’s best chance, John Tavares had the puck on his stick and an empty net staring him in the face. It should have been the easiest goal he ever scored. Instead, he somehow shot it off the post. It seemed like it was going to be one of those nights for Canada. But with the clock ticking down and it looking like this was going to be heading to a Game 3 on Saturday, the Canadians once again did their usual thing.
After Europe’s Anze Kopitar took a holding penalty on Corey Perry, Patrice Bergeron redirected a point shot from Brent Burns to tie the game with 2:53 remaining in the third period. Then, with Europe on the power play and overtime looming, Jonathan Toews rushed up the ice and dropped the puck to Brad Marchand, who scored his tournament- leading fifth goal with 43.1 seconds left in the game.
It was a wild finish — but, oh so predictable considering who won once again.