Hockey history will be made today in Milan (8:10 a.m. EST, CBC/CBC Gem/TSN1/TSN3).
Game Day Quotes
Connor McDavid on the Team Canada vs. Team USA gold-medal collision course:
People can say they expected it, but it wasn’t always going to be the case. The tournament has been so competitive. We were definitely on the ropes a couple of times. They were one shot away from being out. This game wasn’t always inevitable, but now that it is here, it is exciting. It will be a great game.
When you are playing for your country, you play at a different level. You saw it at the 4 Nations. I think you’ll see it again.
McDavid on whether Canada’s game is ramping up into the final:
In a tournament like this, you are always building toward your best possible game, and we have been doing that. There are a lot of things I really, really liked in that Finland game. We kind of rolled four lines, built a game, and wore them down. Over the course of 60 minutes, you saw what happened.
It is going to be a slow grind, but we have to get to our game. We can’t put ourselves in a hole again.
McDavid on the amount of adversity Canada has navigated to make it to the gold medal game:
It gets us ready for a big, big game where there will inevitably be adversity again. You are going to get that in this tournament when you are playing the best teams in the world with the best players in the world. It is not going to be smooth sailing all the time.
Jon Cooper on a Team Canada vs. Team USA gold medal clash:
If you were writing the book, this is how most hockey fans would’ve liked to see it. I don’t want to take away from what has gone on in this tournament. For us to get to this point, we had to scrape and claw. Finland gave us everything we could handle, and so did the Czechs.
If you look at Sweden and the scare they put in the US, this wasn’t easy to get to this point. So many people were like, “Oh, this was just inevitable.” The amount of things that could’ve gone wrong…
Both teams navigated their way. Now, we are both here. Those who got to see the 4 Nations last year, if that is the appetizer, it should be a good one.
Tom Wilson on the enormity of this game:
I’ve played a few Game 7s, but this will be my first gold medal game at the Olympics. It is as big as it gets. Everyone is really excited. It is going to be a big boy game. I am more than ready for it.
I grew up wanting to play in these games. It will be fast and physical. I am really excited about it.
Wilson on the competitive intensity and razor-thin margins in such a high-stakes game:
It is a little bit smaller out there. It is really fast. Speaking to the guys who played last year, everything happens really quickly. That is perfect for me. I’ll be all over the ice trying to make an impact physically, doing everything I can.
There is going to be no feeling out. It is going to be game on. There is nowhere to hide. It will be great hockey.
Brady Tkachuk on the Canada-USA rivalry:
I guess there is hatred there. They’ve been the top dog. They’ve been the best for the past bunch of years. For us, we want to be in that position. We want to be the best.
It will be a game where a lot of guys could say this is the biggest game they’ve ever played in.
Matthew Tkachuk on potentially facing a Marchand-Bennett-Wilson line:
Three great players. Three players who have a great history of being on winning teams and being high competitors. There is some great talent and some great skill.
I mean, that is their whole team, right? They’re so talented, skilled, and deep. That’s how I’d talk about our team as well.
Definitely, they’re three guys who love to compete. Their competitiveness is probably their greatest asset.
Auston Matthews on Sidney Crosby’s status looming over the pre-game planning (update: Crosby is OUT):
It speaks for itself in terms of the resume and the type of player he is, continues to be, and the leadership he brings. He is a competitor. We all kind of expect to see him playing. I am sure it will give them a big boost.
Team USA coach Mike Sullivan on how the game plan changes if Crosby plays:
Regardless of who is in their lineup, our focus is always on our own team. We are going to try to play the game that we think we need to play to set ourselves up for success. We’ll be prepared for what we are up against tactically with respect to Canada. They have some good players, but so do we. We are going to focus on our own group.
Team Canada Projected Lines
Forwards
#17 Macklin Celebrini – #97 Connor McDavid – #29 Nathan MacKinnon
#93 Mitch Marner – #10 Nick Suzuki – #61 Mark Stone
#63 Brad Marchand – #9 Sam Bennett – #43 Tom Wilson
#38 Brandon Hagel – #14 Bo Horvat – #24 Seth Jarvis
#13 Sam Reinhart
Defensemen
#7 Devon Toews – #8 Cale Makar
#20 Thomas Harley – #55 Colton Parayko
#6 Travis Sanheim – #89 Drew Doughty
#27 Shea Theodore
Goaltenders
Starter: #50 Jordan Binnington
#48 Logan Thompson
Injured: Josh Morrissey, Sidney Crosby
Extras: Darcy Kuemper
Team USA Projected Lines
Forwards
#7 Brady Tkachuk – #9 Jack Eichel – #19 Matthew Tkachuk
#59 Jake Guentzel – #34 Auston Matthews – #12 Matt Boldy
#86 Jack Hughes – #21 Dylan Larkin – #72 Tage Thompson
#10 JT Miller – #29 Brock Nelson – #16 Vincent Trocheck
#91 Clayton Keller
Defensemen
#43 Quinn Hughes – #25 Charlie McAvoy
#74 Jaccob Slavin – #14 Brock Faber
#86 Jake Sanderson – #8 Zach Werenski
#15 Noah Hanifin
Goaltenders
Starter: #37 Connor Hellebuyck
#30 Jake Oettinger
