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MATT SLOCUM \/ THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILES<\/p>\n
Canada\u2019s Jonathan Toews (16) reacts after scoring a goal in the first period of the men\u2019s gold medal ice hockey game against USA at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics in Vancouver. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s funny to be on the other side of it now, and just see how everyone\u2019s holding their breath (when) we were down 2-0 against the Finns. And you feel how important this is to everyone across Canada in games like that,\u201d said Toews. \u201cSo obviously, this is the big one. There\u2019s some great teams in the tournament, so it hasn\u2019t been an easy road for Canada. So I\u2019ll definitely be cheering for them.\u201d<\/p>\n
So, what\u2019s it like to prepare for a game like this, with so much at stake?<\/p>\n
\u201cI mean, I don\u2019t know there\u2019s not really any moment in your life that\u2019s going to prepare you for that, really,\u201d said Toews. \u201cI\u2019m sure some of those guys probably felt a lot of nerves, even just showing up to the Olympics and being in that locker room, and you play your first game, and you slowly kind of just get comfortable.<\/p>\n
\u201cPlaying in the gold medal game is a whole different thing. I can think back to the game in Vancouver, especially where I don\u2019t remember getting much sleep that night and basically laying wide awake, and all of a sudden it\u2019s time to go to the game at like 9:30 in the morning. And then, I don\u2019t know, you\u2019ve just got to find a way to get to that place where you can just go and play, because you have to play the game.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have to execute, and you have to find ways to make plays and kind of just let go of the nerves and the pressure, because the other team is feeling it too. It\u2019s a pretty special moment, one way or another, to be part of a game like that, and obviously, you want to see Canada get the gold.\u201d<\/p>\n
There\u2019s been plenty of discussion the past several days about Canada\u2019s ability to rally from deficits in each of the past two games just to reach the gold medal game.<\/p>\n
Toews faced similar adversity in 2010, when the U.S. got a goal in the third period from Zach Parise to send the game to overtime, setting the stage for a seminal moment that followed \u2013 the golden goal from Sidney Crosby.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou feel how important this is to everyone across Canada in games like that\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter the fact, and when you have time to reflect on it, felt so fitting that he was the guy to score the goal. And winning on home soil in Canada at the Olympics was such a huge incredible cap off to Canada\u2019s performance at the Olympics,\u201d said Toews. \u201cSo, it was pretty special to contribute to that. But in the moment when the U.S. tied the game late, I\u2019m not going to lie. I know a lot of guys said that the feeling was calm in the locker room. And I don\u2019t know if I was feeling that a whole lot. I feel like if we\u2019re being honest, obviously there were nerves.\u201d<\/p>\n
The ability to handle those nerves in tense moments could be the deciding factor in a game between two closely matched teams.<\/p>\n
Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck has been excellent for the United States and he\u2019s ready for the 4 Nations Face-Off matchup with Jordan Binnington.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is the one game everyone is excited about,\u201d said Jets defenceman Dylan Samberg, who has represented the U.S. at the world junior hockey championship and the men\u2019s world championship. \u201cIt is good to see (Hellebuyck) playing well and the team in front of him is playing well. The (U.S.) went up against a (couple of tough) opponents. The Sweden game, it was pretty tight checking. It was a scary one, but it was good to see them get through that one.<\/p>\n
\u201c(Canada) is a heavy team with some bigger guys who like to throw their weight around. I think it will be a good battle.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jets head coach Scott Arniel has been watching the games intently, both from the perspective of a hockey fan and as a coach with players involved in the competition.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s not really any moment in your life that\u2019s going to prepare you for that\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s pretty tough to predict how this is going to go,\u201d said Arniel. \u201cIt will have a lot of that 4 Nations (Face-Off) look to it. It\u2019s going to be tight, it\u2019s going to be fast. It will be really interesting to see the match-ups. Canada has the last change. The U.S, has their heavy line, with the Tkachuk\u2019s and now it looks like (Canada) has got (its) new heavy line, with Tom Wilson, Marchand and Bennett. We\u2019ll see how they match up.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t imagine there\u2019s going to be a lot of free ice out there.\u201d<\/p>\n
How about a prediction, coach?<\/p>\n
\u201cThese games so far have been so much fun to watch, watching best on best with all the games, not just Canada and the U.S. and when you get to see that, it\u2019s pretty exciting for the fans,\u201d said Arniel. \u201cYou\u2019re just hoping for a great game. I just hope it lives up to what everyone is expecting. We\u2019ll just leave it at that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jets injury update<\/p>\n
Team Canada head coach Jon Cooper announced on Saturday that defenceman Josh Morrissey won\u2019t be suiting up in the gold medal game because of an upper-body injury that has limited him to just over one period of action in these Olympics.<\/p>\n
\n\t\tWinnipeg Free Press | Newsletter\n\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\tThe Warm-Up<\/p>\n
Winnipeg Jets Game Days<\/p>\n
On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop.<\/p>\n
\t\t\tSign up for The Warm-Up<\/a><\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t \u201cHe\u2019s pretty frustrated,\u201d said Arniel. \u201cBut at the end of the day, you don\u2019t want him playing in a game of that magnitude if he\u2019s not able to do what he needs to do.\u201d<\/p>\n Arniel said he won\u2019t know Morrissey\u2019s status for Wednesday\u2019s game against the Vancouver Canucks for a few more days.<\/p>\n \u201cIn the moment when the U.S. tied the game late, I\u2019m not going to lie\u2026 a lot of guys said that the feeling was calm in the locker room. I feel like if we\u2019re being honest, obviously there were nerves.\u201d<\/p>\n There was some promising news on the injury front as Neal Pionk shed the non-contact jersey on Saturday and was working with his regular defence partner, Samberg.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s ready to go there for Vancouver, which is great news,\u201d said Arniel. \u201cHaving him and (Samberg) back together is a big piece for us. When you lose those top-4 guys, that has a big impact. Him being back and up to speed is a really good sign.\u201d<\/p>\n winnipegfreepress.com\/kenwiebe<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t Ken Wiebe Ken Wiebe is a sports reporter for the Free Press, with an emphasis on the Winnipeg Jets. He has covered hockey and provided analysis in this market since 2000 for the Winnipeg Sun, The Athletic, Sportsnet.ca and TSN. Ken was a summer intern at the Free Press in 1999 and returned to the Free Press in a full-time capacity in September of 2023. Read more about Ken<\/a>.<\/p>\n Every piece of reporting Ken produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print \u2014 part of the Free Press\u2018s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press\u2019s history and mandate<\/a>, and learn how our newsroom operates<\/a>.<\/p>\n Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber<\/a>.<\/p>\n Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.<\/p>\n \t\t<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Reporter
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