Canada’s men’s hockey team spent part of their day off on Tuesday attending a short track speed skating event.
“It was a pretty cool day,” captain Sidney Crosby told TSN’s Ryan Rishaug. “Pretty rare with our schedule that we get some free time, so to be able to have a day together, it was a great event. Intense, edge of our seat, but we had a ton of fun. We probably won’t get a lot of time to watch many things live at this point so it was great we were able to do it.”
“They wanted to go to a sporting event so bad,” said head coach Jon Cooper. “They had to find the one they had a little bit of time to fit in and all 25 guys went. And did you see the clips of those guys?”
The players gasped and looked shocked as Canada nearly avoided a crash and ultimately won the silver medal in the mixed team relay.
“I was nervous cheering for them,” said New York Islanders centre Bo Horvat. “It’s a nerve-wracking time. It kind of hits you that they’re competing for a medal and they did a heck of a job of boosting themselves up. They were back in the race and boosted themselves up to silver for Canada.”
“It’s pretty chaotic,” said Winnipeg Jets defenceman Josh Morrissey. “I never watched speed skating live before.”
What was his favourite moment?
“Just seeing the medal ceremony,” Morrissey said. “It’s inspiring. It inspires you to get that medal and make it a gold one that much more.”
Canada will begin its quest for gold in Milan on Thursday when they open the Olympics against Czechia.
How big is this game?
“Really big,” said Horvat. “It’s a first Olympic game for me. We’ll all be excited and anxious to go.”
“There’s always that anticipation and excitement to get going,” Morrissey said.
Calm and focused Crosby trying to keep things simple for Canada ahead of opening game Team Canada captain Sidney Crosby spoke to TSN’s Ryan Rishaug about spending a day cheering on other Canadian Olympians and soaking in that atmosphere, how the team is spending its time preparing for Thursday’s first game against Czechia, his belief that Macklin Celebrini is ready for this moment and more.
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Canada travelled around Milan on Tuesday via the city’s metro system.
“We were crammed in there like sardines,” Horvat said with a smile. “It was a fun experience and brings us closer as a team.”
St. Louis Blues goalie Jordan Binnington served as the de facto tour guide.
“He was in charge of everything,” Horvat said. “He was our tour guide for the day. He did a great job. He got everybody there, everybody home so we’re happy.”
The question now: will Binnington lead Canada onto the ice on Thursday?
Cooper declined to name his starter after Wednesday’s practice, but said it was a “safe assumption” that two different goalies will start the first two games, which fall on consecutive days.
Canada also plays Switzerland on Friday.
“Man, I’m just enjoying the moment each day, one day at a time, and taking it all in,” Binnington said of his mindset.
Binnington played every minute in backstopping Canada to the 4 Nations Face-Off title last year, but has struggled to find his form in the NHL this season. Still, that run in Montreal and Boston earned him a lot of goodwill with Cooper.
“He proved everything I felt about him right,” said the Tampa Bay Lightning coach. “The biggest stage, the biggest moment at the biggest time, he delivered and we’ve seen that before. There’s just some guys that have the ‘it’ factor. He delivered when we needed him most. Is that guaranteed? You never know that, but everything we watched in that playoff run [in 2019] and everything he’s done since has been remarkable.”
Washington Capitals goalie Logan Thompson, Los Angeles Kings netminder Darcy Kuemper and Binnington all split reps at Wednesday’s practice.
‘We’ll have to wait and see’: Binnington doesn’t shed light on who’s starting Game 1 Ryan Rishaug caught up with Canadian netminder Jordan Binnington who chose not to shed light on who their starting goaltender will be against Czechia. He also touches on his Olympic experience so far and what it was like taking in the Speed Skating competition on Tuesday.
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Team Canada’s oldest player, 38-year-old Crosby, and its youngest player, 19-year-old Macklin Celebrini, chatted for more than two minutes while skating laps around the ice before practice.
“I think he’s ready,” Crosby said of the San Jose Sharks sophomore sensation. “He’s a competitive guy. He earned his spot on this team for a reason. I think he likes the challenge and he’s proven time and time again that he likes these kind of opportunities. He’s earned it. He looks great out there. I think he’s ready to go.”
Celebrini is set to start the Olympics on Canada’s top line beside Connor McDavid and Tom Wilson.
Crosby, who led Canada to gold at the 2010 and 2014 Olympics, is a great resource for Celebrini and everyone else on the team.
“It’s remarkable,” said Cooper. “What do the young kids say today? His ‘aura’? That’s what Sidney Crosby has in the best way possible.”
How is Crosby different now than when he scored the golden goal in Vancouver?
“A little more grey hair maybe,” he said with a grin. “That’s about it. No, a little bit more experience for sure. But that doesn’t give you anything. You gotta go out there and every time you touch the ice, you gotta work and try to prove it. But definitely a little more experience and hopefully a little wiser if I had to look at something.”
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Canada is the heavy favourite heading into their opening game against Czechia.
“It will take the perfect game for us,” said Boston Bruins winger David Pastrnak. “We will try our best. We are confident. We have a good group.”
And just like the Canadians, the Czechs are eager to get at it.
“Just anxious,” said Pastrnak. “All of us excited. The Olympics are finally here and can’t wait to get it started.”
‘It will take a perfect game’: Pastrnak on how they upset Canada David Pastrnak joins Mark Masters to discuss his Olympic experience so far, Czechia’s preparations and why they’ll need a perfect game on Thursday if they want to beat Canada.
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Lines at Team Canada’s practice on Wednesday:
Celebrini – McDavid – Wilson
Hagel – MacKinnon – Reinhart
Marner – Crosby – Stone
Marchand – Horvat – Suzuki
Jarvis, Bennett
Toews – Makar
Morrissey – Parayko
Sanheim – Theodore
Harley – Doughty
Binnington
Kuemper
Thompson
Canada tweaks lines as final preparations are made for opener against Czechia Team Canada wouldn’t reveal their starting goalie for their opener against Czechia but we did see some line adjustments on Wednesday. Mark Masters is joined by Pierre LeBrun and Ryan Rishaug to recap Canada’s final practice before Game 1.