Pride is not always a sin, not this kind of pride.
Certainly, there were lapses into its more unfortunate forms, but a day removed and I’ve been surprised to find myself borderline emotional about the Canada-U.S. game that was played on Saturday night, and I’ve pinned that feeling down to being proud.
As someone who’s put their life into the game of hockey, I’m proud to see what the game can look like at the very highest tier of talent on the planet, when both sides care to rare degree. I’m proud that fringe hockey fans found that game and loved its unusual mix of venom and grace. I’m proud that both the U.S. and Canadian teams did things that are hard to get yourself to do – yes, I am talking about the fights and hits – for their own versions of a greater good. In a backwards way, there’s a wholesomeness to what manifested as violence.
The short story for the first Canada-U.S. game in damn near a decade was much more simply: That. Was. Awesome.
Below are my Canadian point-of-view takeaways from what was one of the most memorable hockey games, well, ever.
Kevin Bieksa said it best on the panel: That was the best start to a game in the history of hockey.
I remember other puck drop brawls too, but those were more watered-down NHL teams, mid-season, based on some previously perceived slight. They weren’t the best players in the world, literal all-stars, fighting in what in the name of what may be dramatically phrased, “the name of their country.” There’s never been anything like that.
First, I give the Tkachuk boys credit, man. That is a massive stage to put your reputation on the line. The swing of getting knocked out there or winning that fight was bound to be career-defining stuff either way. The thought of that coming moment must’ve been incessant throughout the day.
But more than that, I give the Canadian players credit, no more than Brandon Hagel, my god. Matthew Tkachuk said he and Brady and JT Miller had a group chat going that brought that start-up. They were at least mentally prepared for what was to come. Hagel gives up well over 20 pounds to the much thicker challenger, and on the spot, he didn’t back down from that massive stage (and he did great, I’d give him the decision).
Colton Parayko is 31, has played about 800 NHL games, and has been in one single fight in his NHL career prior to assenting to the request of J.T. Miller. That he took the offer from that player, who’s been in about 35 NHL fights according to my count, was meaningful.
And Sam Bennett swinging with Brady Tkachuk, what a show.
Jon Cooper said it best with “It’s probably 10 years of no international hockey exhaled into a minute and a half.”
I could still run through a wall thinking about it.
But on to the other 59 minutes and 51 seconds.
The Canadian team carried the bulk of the play, and that wasn’t particularly close by possession time. The puck was in the U.S. zone for about 26 minutes of the game, as opposed to the 19:25 it spent in the Canadian end. Offensive zone possession time (where the teams actually have the puck on offence in the O-zone), saw the Canadians with three more minutes than the U.S. team, which is typically the showing of a more dominant team. A few things about that.
It’s tempting to compare the Canadian offence being greatly slowed to the Toronto Maple Leafs in playoffs, who’ve typically had their dynamic offence dry up in big spots. This wasn’t that.
This was a U.S. team defending exceptionally well, and I truly believe it’s one of the best-executed systems games from a team that’s never all played under the same systems.
When the U.S. defence pinched a step, forwards fell back, everyone collapsed to the house then defended from the inside out, there was just nowhere to go. Jaccob Slavin was exceptional, and personified the steady, frustrating defending that never wavered.
I’m often a dissenter when coaches give offensive advice like “Just get shots and traffic and hope” but there’s a level of quality defence where there’s simply no open ice inside, and you have to create breakdowns through chaos and pucks to the net, boring though it may be. It’s the equivalent of running the ball in the NFL. It’s boring and hard and unsexy, but if you do it well, long enough with enough vigour, other big plays will open themselves up.
Score effects, because of the goaltending
I mentioned the possession numbers above, and at least some of Canada’s dominance there comes from the U.S. having the lead and being able to drop back and shut it down defensively. Canada was pushing, while they were content to let the clock run.
And how did the U.S. get the lead, well that started with Jordan Binnington letting them back in it.
I’m torn on where the Canadians go from here in net. Binnington seems to make some exceptional saves along the way, but at the same time, those don’t have much value if he can’t give you the easier saves along with them. Dylan Larkin’s shot isn’t a “must-have” – it’s a rush shot from a dangerous spot – but the best goalies make that save, and the Guentzel one is no good.
You have to beat Finland, and Adin Hill hasn’t played yet. And you’ve also got to be prepared that if you do start Hill and win, you’re likely going with Hill in the Final against the US. too, which makes it a bigger decision.
One thing I said going into this event was that you probably don’t have time to let guys “work through” stretches of bad play, you just need to move on to the next guy. I’ll stick to my guns on that, and say it’s time for Hill to get his shot.
– Thomas Harley was put in a tough spot, and performed better than could have been expected. He should be proud of the game he played, as he was one of the more noticeable Canadian defenders, making plays with the puck, getting up ice, and periodically laying the body. Canada would be happy with his minutes. That said, there were errors, and one of them (a bad line change) results in the game-winning goal against. I have to imagine Cale Makar plays on Monday, which takes Harely out, which is too bad. I’d play him over Travis Sanheim (who was totally fine, if not good!) were they able to make that choice.
– I feel for Jon Cooper’s challenge, as getting all these guys into the game has to be such a battle, while simultaneously getting the best guys out there the most. But Nathan MacKinnon is a massive difference-maker who played just 18:30, and he can handle far more. It also feels like Cooper is cognizant of being too deferential to his Lightning guys, but Brayden Point might be next in line for me after McDavid and MacKinnon as guys I want out there, and he needs more than 16:30. Meanwhile, Brandon Hagel was noticeable every second of his 13:52. Those two guys might need to play higher up in the rotation.
– The Americans put a lickin’ on Connor McDavid, in exactly the way you should be hard on the opposing team’s best players. Charlie MacAvoy twice put him on his ass, and the whole group took every chance they could to put the body on him. He just kept working, to his credit. That’s just big game hockey, and it falls on his teammates to take advantage of guys running out of position to lay those hits.
– Related: far too many one-man forechecks and too little support generally. It often felt like guys were on an island, with players changing while one guy pursued the puck or hung on to it, waiting for help. They can make better line changes.
– Of the bottom six, Sam Bennett was far and away the most impactful player. In his team-low 7:41 of ice time, he had a fight, a team-leading three shots (tied with McDavid), and was second on the team in hits with four (to Cirelli’s five). And those were hits. Seth Jarvis failed to make an impact in his 11:07, which might be Travis Konecny’s open door to get back in.
– As a standalone event, the political backdrop to Saturday — anthem booing and all — was less of a black cloud and more of a shot of nitrous. I hope it served as a general reminder to Canadians and Americans alike that we have far more in common than we are divided. We all loved that, we’re hockey fans. Everyone stood up proud of themselves, and after the rough stuff, they played a great, fair, fast game. As a fan it was just a really cool night.
– And finally, a big game is coming up on Monday afternoon! The Finns will pack the house defensively and play hard, too, so it’s not one to take lightly. This tournament has ended up being far better than I’m sure the NHL and NHLPA ever thought it could be.
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