Canada is into the semifinals of the men’s hockey tournament at the Milan Cortina Games, but their 4-3 overtime victory over Czechia in the quarterfinal was anything but a smooth sail. After cruising through the preliminary round with a perfect record and a staggering +17 goal differential, the Canadians had a tough time, yet veteran forward Brad Marchand offered a glimpse into the mindset that carried his team through.

In an exclusive interview with EssentiallySports’ Shreya Verma following the game, Marchand opened up about the tension on the bench as the minutes ticked away.

“No, I don’t think we… I mean, we were kind of going through a couple of different things throughout the game and making adjustments as were they. Obviously, it was a stressful time, but it was a great feeling when it went in,” he said, reflecting on Canada’s approach.

When asked directly whether the match felt like it was slipping away from the defending champions, the Florida Panthers star mentioned, stating, “I don’t think that we felt it was slipping away. I just think that we knew it was going to be a tough game. But, I mean, if you think that a game’s over, five minutes left, those guys in that room don’t feel that way, don’t think that way. The game’s finished when the buzzer sounds, and you have belief until that happens.”

The high-stakesquarterfinal against Czechia came six days after their tournament opener against the same nation, where Canada prevailed 5-0 at the Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena. Youngster Macklin Celebrini, with an assist from Connor McDavid, scored the game’s first goal for the Canadians at 3:05. However, almost five minutes later in the first period, Czechia started their comeback.

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Lukas Sedlak equalized, and later, at 14:49, Brad Marchand’s former Boston Bruins teammate, David Pastrnak, scored, giving Czechia the lead heading into the second period. However, Canada lost its captain, Sidney Crosby, who took a heavy hit from Czech defenseman Radko Gudas near the boards.

It wasn’t even five minutes into the second period, and pressure was already on Team Canada. While Nathan MacKinnon pulled his nation even at 12:16 of the second on the power play, Ondrej Palat restored the Czech lead with 7:42 remaining in regulation. Nick Suzuki came in clutch, as with 3:27 left, he scored the much-needed equalizer with the help of Devon Toews and Seth Jarvis.

The game went to overtime, and Mitch Marner sliced through the Czech defense and scored at 1:22. The team showcased a resilient mindset. Even though they were not in the lead at one point, as Marchand explained, the match wasn’t over until the final buzzer, as the Canadians fought bravely for that semifinal spot, with their eyes fixed on a later gold medal match.

For Marchand, his time playing in the tournament has been quite tactical.

Team Canada preserved Brad Marchand for the big matches

The group matches clearly showed the reason behind Team Canada being the favorite for the gold medal at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics. However, they had that great edge over the other teams in Group A without having one of their star players on the roster for two consecutive games.

Indeed, Brad Marchand played in the initial match against Czechia, where Canada demolished them 5-0, with the Florida Panthers forward securing a single assist. Then, he was kept on the sidelines for rest purposes, as he was battling a pre-Olympic injury.

In early January, while playing in the NHL, Marchand suffered an undisclosed injury. Since then, he has missed out on the Panthers’ final 15 games heading into the Milan Olympics break.

However, his absence from Canada’s game against Switzerland and France showcased a tactical approach from head coach Jon Cooper and his team. Keeping Marchand away from the competition ice locked him for the bigger matches, rather than risking an injury during the group games.

So, with this quarterfinal victory against Czechia, Team Canada has now won 14 straight Olympic games with their NHL stars. Only time will determine their fate in the upcoming matches, as many fans eagerly anticipate a rematch in the 4 Nations Face-Off final against Team USA.