BOSTON — Don’t name it a passing of the torch. A minimum of not round Connor McDavid.
“I think you’re gonna see Sid in 12 months,” stated No. 97, who put himself into the identical echelon as No. 87 on Thursday night time in Boston. “I don’t think you see a passing of any torch. He had a great tournament, he’s a big part of our group, and I think you’ll see him in a year’s time.”
That a lot is true. Sidney Crosby, barring harm or some form of freak occasion, nearly actually will put on the “C” once more for Crew Canada in Milan, simply as he did for the previous 10 days.
But it surely’s arduous to get extra poetic than issues received for Canada at 8:18 of additional time Thursday night time.
Crosby had the golden objective within the 2010 Olympics, the one second that outlined a era of Canadian hockey.
McDavid now has the wrist shot he ripped from the slot Thursday to provide Canada a 3-2 win within the 4 Nations Face-Off closing towards Crew USA.
“Just relief, really,” McDavid stated, describing his emotions. “Just excited for our group. Honestly, everybody was so dug in. Starts months and months and months ago with management going and picking the team, coaching staff coming together and obviously players doing what we do. It’s been a big production this week to have it all come together.”
It’s not the Olympics, although the NHL’s return to best-on-best will give him the prospect to writer one thing memorable in Italy subsequent February. However Crosby’s objective didn’t come at a time of excessive rigidity between the USA and Canada, and it didn’t observe 11 years with no true best-on-best competitors.
McDavid got here up simply in need of what would have been the best hockey feat in reminiscence final summer time when the Oilers fell brief from rallying down 3-0 within the Cup Ultimate, profitable the Conn Smythe Trophy after shedding Sport 7 and sitting within the Edmonton dressing room too distraught to gather it.
Between World Juniors and World Championships, McDavid had received three gold medals taking part in for Crew Canada previously, however final summer time was his solely shot on the Stanley Cup, and he’d by no means had the prospect to play in best-on-best competitors for his nation.
Few gamers had been extra vocal about wanting the return of best-on-best, and it nearly doesn’t matter what McDavid did up till the game-winner — no one goes house from Boston having finished extra to spice up his legacy.
“It means everything,” he stated. “I believe you noticed everyone lay all of it on the road. The Tkachuk bros had been grinding by way of issues, grinding by way of one thing. All people — [Thomas] Harley stepping in once more.
“Everybody laid it all out there. And it just means the world to us to find a way to get it done. That’s what we do.”
