Czechia pushed the Milan Olympics favorites to the absolute limit in Wednesday’s men’s hockey quarterfinal. Indeed, Canada struggled against the Czech until Mitch Marner delivered an overtime winner. And in the aftermath of the 4-3 defeat, the focus shifted from the scoreboard to the officiating.

Head coach Radim Rulík shared his criticism of the Milan Olympics referees post-game, stating, “The referees really worry me. What they’re allowing against us is unacceptable. After every game, we send them two or three clips where they confirm that the opponent should have been penalized. I don’t understand it. I just don’t get it. I feel like everyone is afraid to call anything against Canada.”

Rulík pointed to specific moments he believed should have resulted in opportunities for his team, most notably his star player, Martin Nečas. “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. It was happening to us even against Denmark. The mix of NHL and European referees hasn’t worked — everyone calls the game differently,” he said.

“I watch two NHL games on replay every single day. The play Nečas made today — when his stick was touched on the breakaway — is always a penalty in the NHL. But suddenly, not here.”

During the third period, Nečas, who was trying to get an opportunity on the ice, was slowed down due to Canadian defenseman Devon Toews. He made a move on the Czech player in the neutral zone, and as there was no infraction, Rulík was disappointed. According to him, if the exact scenario had been in the NHL, it could’ve been a penalty in his team’s favor.

News served to you like never before!

Prefer us on Google, To get latest news on feed

Prefer Us on Google

“I’m really sorry about it. 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,” Rulík said.

Czechia had two power plays in the game to Canada’s three, with David Pastrnak and Nathan MacKinnon each scoring on the man advantage for their respective teams. The loss stings particularly deeply for Czechia, who haven’t reached the men’s hockey semifinals at the Winter Games since 2018.

However, Nečas chimed in following the game, sharing a few words, stating, “This is probably the best team in history, so we know they’re going to get their chances. But we played with our heart. We played for our country, for our people that are watching and are here, and you could see it.”

The disappointment was evident in the Czech players, but they admired the effort they showed against the tournament favorites. And Canada had a resilient mentality throughout their time on the rink.

Brad Marchand revealed the mentality of the Canadian team at the Milan Olympics

For a team like Canada that headed to its quarterfinal match at the Milan Olympics with a similar opponent, the odds were all in favor of the team. However, Czechia, which initially lost 5-0 to them in their Group A match six days ago, put up a great fight and pushed the game to overtime.

Eventually, Canada secured their victory, but star forward Brad Marchand revealed to EssentiallySports a unique detail, stating, “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.”

Further reflecting on their mindset, he said, “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.”

Straightforward and confident. The team knew that there was no room for any error in the final moments, and eventually, the equalizer came for Team Canada to push the game to OT and win the Milan Olympics quarterfinal match in style.