Whether it's the 4 Nations Face-Off or the Olympics, Canada can rely on Thomas Harley to step up when another D-man gets hurt. His Norris Trophy and Stanley Cup-winning defense partner even loves to play with him.
MILAN, Italy - When Canada has found itself a man short on 'D' recently, Thomas Harley has been the guy who steps up.
At the 4 Nations Face-Off, he famously wasn't allowed to practise with the team before his tournament debut, which came when Cale Makar was ruled out due to illness.
Harley went on to have a smashing tourney for Canada, which took the championship in a classic showdown with archrival Team USA. From there, he came back to the NHL and put up career offensive numbers with the Dallas Stars.
They also needed Harley to play big as No. 1 defenseman Miro Heiskanen missed a bunch of time due to injury.
Which takes us to the Olympics. While Canada won decisively against the Czechs in their opener, blueliner Josh Morrissey left the game with an injury after playing just seven minutes for the Canadians.
Enter Harley, who picked up the slack and played 20:35 that night, leading his team in ice time (even more than Makar, it should be noted).
So what is it about Harley that allows him to step up when his team needs him the most?
"I just love playing hockey, and getting to do that for my country is a pleasure," Harley said matter-of-factly. "Anytime I get to do that, I'm going to enjoy it. But I remind myself, at the simplest level, it's still hockey, and you just got to go out there and do what you've done your whole life."
While Harley didn't have to play extra minutes against the Swiss in Game 2, he did make an impact again, notching his first goal of the Olympics. He has also continued his steady partnership with Los Angeles Kings veteran Drew Doughty.
"He's a very good player – I love playing with him," Doughty said. "He's still pretty young and has a lot of hockey left in him. He's just good at everything: he's sound defensively, good at breaking pucks out and he can score."
Being back with his 4 Nations partner has also been a comfort for the 24-year-old Stars rearguard.
"We understand each other very well," Harley said. "We have a good working relationship and a great relationship off the ice, so it's been awesome."
It truly feels like that 4 Nations run was a turning point for Harley. Not that he wasn't a highly acclaimed blueliner before – he was taken 18th overall in the 2019 draft, after all – but his ability to jump into a tournament that had the hockey world in thrall, with an unexpected background of jingoism thrown in for good measure, was impressive. Harley acknowledged that it was a confidence booster.
"To prove to yourself and the world that you can play at that level is big," he said. "And then you go back to the NHL, and it's a bit slower (pace) for you."
Now the pressure is back on. Canada is naturally one of the favorites for gold at the Olympics, but they still have to beat some very good teams in order to climb the podium.
And with the Games in Europe, the Canadians haven't had favorable crowds: Czech and Swiss fans made up a majority of the audience in the first two games, putting Harley and his teammates in the uncommon position of being the bad guys.
"It's different," he said. "I like it. (Coach Jon Cooper) 'Coop' said before the game that when we score and it's silent, you have to enjoy that silence. It's just you and the other 24 guys cheering."
Once the Olympics are over, Harley and his Stars will be looking to make another charge at a Stanley Cup, something that has so far eluded this very talented group of Dallas players in recent years.
But the top job right now is that Olympic gold, and luckily for Harley, he has that 4 Nations experience in his back pocket. If anything, the Olympics have been easier so far, since he was named to the team right away and didn't have to come in midway as a replacement.
"I'm a little more comfortable with it, a little more settled," he said. "And I can practise with the guys, so that's nice."
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