We can all laugh about it now, but it would have been a very sombre mood if the Canada men’s hockey team was knocked out in shocking fashion by Czechia before even getting to the medal round.

And it would have been all the more devastating if Canadians had to live in a world where Czechia’s third goal scored by Ondrej Palát stood as the winning goal despite them doing so with at least one extra player on the ice.

Looking back on the film, several have pointed out the extra player that was on the ice as Czechia broke away to score with just over three minutes remaining, others indicating that as many as eight players were on the ice — though it appears the latter two were heading to the bench for a line change.

In the end, Canadians don’t have to live in that world as right here on planet earth Nick Suzuki scored with the biggest tip of his career before Mitch Marner scored the winner in 3-on-3 overtime. Yes, Canada had the legal amount of players on the ice both times.

These moments are made for social media, and it is no surprise to see plenty point it out and have fun with the extra help Czechia had.

Adding to the entertainment factor is that Czechia head coach Radim Rulik lamented the officiating after the game and felt as though his side was the one playing against six players.

“I feel like everyone is afraid to call anything against Canada,” Rulik said after the game. “We were basically playing against six players. I don’t want to make excuses, and no one has to agree with me, but the video backs me up. In this respect, it’s not a fair tournament…

“The guys deserved a top-level performance from the referees. They always admit afterward that we were right, but nothing ever changes. We should have had power plays against Canada. But they were afraid Pasta or Nečas would score another power-play goal. And if Gudas was penalized, then Doughty should have been too for the hit on Pasta.”

It all worked out if you’re Canadian. Nick Suzuki and Jordan Binnington have both received criticism leading up to this game and that goal opened the door for both those players to have huge moments that contributed to Canada’s incredible overtime victory courtesy Mitch Marner.

That’s something that didn’t go unnoticed and might even help propel this team forward.

Canada will now play Finland in the semifinals on Friday while the U.S. will play Slovakia.