Skip to content
Your daily dose of hockey
News

If Donald Trump wants to win at hockey, he just has to become the prime minister of the 11th province
Charles-Alexis Brisebois
If Donald Trump wants to win at hockey, he just has to become the prime minister of the 11th province
Credit: Getty Images
How important was last night’s win for you?

The political context made a tournament that is not the Olympics important. The players gave it importance and the political war with the Americans strengthened the sense of belonging of Canadians to their country.

And even some Quebecers. Gotta do it!

If American players were playing for their president, many people in Canada hoped that the Canadians would win so that Donald Trump wouldn’t win and wouldn’t have a reason to brag.

It was finally Justin Trudeau who got his message across (you can’t take our country and our sport) since Jon Cooper’s men went to win it on the road.

Donald Trump will surely find a way to spin this to his advantage, but oh well.

When we see that even J.D. Vance made jokes about “tariffs will rise if Canada wins” before last night’s game, we realize that Canada’s win was really necessary.

Does it taste 25% better?

But oh well. If Donald Trump wants to win at hockey, he just has to face Team Quebec offer to become the prime minister of the 11th Canadian province. It’s surely his easiest path to victory in hockey.

This victory, on many levels, did some good.

But what were the elements that made it so that it was Canada, and not the United States, that won? And what do I take away from last night’s historic evening?

1. In 2010, there was Sidney Crosby. And now, he has clearly passed the torch.

Connor McDavid, the most talented player in the world, scored the goal in overtime. And Nathan MacKinnon, his Maritime counterpart, was elected player of the tournament. The best were the best.

2. Brady Tkachuk and Jaccob Slavin would have deserved a better fate. The first was really in the Canadians’ face and the second must have prevented 7225 scoring chances during the game.

If Matthew Tkachuk had been healthy and had been able to play regularly, he would have had an impact, too. But he was injured.

3. The 2010 and 2014 Olympics and the 2026 World Cup were supposed to be special events for Sidney Crosby. But I wonder where the 2025 victory ranks in his eyes.

He’s older… he has a bad team in Pittsburgh… this one must feel good for him.

4. Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews are two teammates who faced each other yesterday. It was important since when they play in Toronto, they are unable to win anything.

Yesterday, one of the two lost. And the one who won didn’t steal his gold medal.

5. Question for Canadiens fans: do you prefer this victory in times of economic war or the Canadiens’ win on June 24, 2021, when Montreal fans had to deal with COVID-19 restrictions?

I have the feeling that a recency bias will make many people say yesterday’s game. Will the answer be the same in a few years? Hard to say right now.

6. Jordan Binnington held up. In overtime, it was fortunate he was there, because without him, let’s say Canada’s chances of winning would have been slimmer.

He’s a goalie who has been criticized (by me, among others), but who stood up – like in the 2019 Stanley Cup Final. He was better than his American counterpart and both lived up to their respective reputations in important moments.

7. At the end, the medal ceremony was endless. The guys were coming from the other side of the world and one by one… but since Canada had won, it wasn’t so bad.

Note that Samuel Montembeault also received his medal, even though he didn’t play. The experience gained over the past ten days is important for the Quebecer.

8. What changes would you like to see for the Olympics, in a year? Who will win the Stanley Cup in a few months among the guys who won gold last night? These are questions I have.

Sam Reinhart, anyway, won the 2024 Cup and gold last night. He deserves to celebrate.


overtime

Are you looking forward to seeing Christian Dvorak again? I don’t want to beat up on the guy for nothing, but he illustrates how different the level of play will be when the Canadiens’ regular activities resume.

Action resumes tomorrow, in Ottawa. Will Samuel Montembeault be in action? Will Jake Evans’ contract become relevant again?

facebook icon Share twitter icon Tweet linkedin icon Share
Copied!
More Content