MILAN — The Canadian men’s hockey team was just trying to survive.
Their beloved captain Sidney Crosby had left an Olympic quarterfinal game with a lower body injury. They were trailing by one goal halfway through the second period. Underdog Czechia was playing with house money and absolutely nothing to lose.
The sides traded blows. Nathan MacKinnon landed an equalizer that yielded a collective scream of a relief from Canadian fans. Czechia's Ondrej Palat said not so fast with his third period goal, drawing Czech fans to their feet, a taste of Olympic glory whetting their palette for more. Then, Nick Suzuki entered the chat. He tipped in a Devon Toews shot with less than 4 minutes remaining to force overtime and keep Canada alive.
The tension that had been building all contest inside Milano Santaguilia Ice Hockey Arena grew so thick, reaching palpable levels during the intermission between regulation and overtime.
But, finally, less than 2 minutes into extra time, Mitch Marner took out his sharpened knife and drove the blade right through all that intense energy with a goal that sent Canadian fans into a blind frenzy, the seams of the building exploding with elation, a release so thorough it could be felt in the rafters.
