Wednesday night snow flurries in Montréal were not the only things that stormed through the city.
Wednesday night snow flurries in Montréal were not the only things that stormed through the city.
In Montréal, you can’t take a single step without seeing it — the red, blue, yellow, and white logo of the 4 Nations Face-Off (or Confrontation des 4 Nations in French). On the billboards in Eaton Centre, you’ll see it. Wandering the streets near Old Montréal, you’ll see it. Weaving through the buildings of Concordia University’s Sir George Williams Campus, you’ll see it. You may even catch a peek at your local metro station or deep within the underground city, if you’re hiding from the -15°C temperatures.
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The 4 Nations Face-Off is officially underway, as Team Canada and Team Sweden took part in their first matchup of the tournament last night. Vancouver Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet and Team Canada defeated Elias Pettersson and Team Sweden 4–3 in overtime in what was a much closer game than many may have expected. Tocchet is one of Canada’s three assistant coaches currently in the NHL, joining Bruce Cassidy of the Vegas Golden Knights and Peter DeBoer of the Dallas Stars in assisting Canada head coach Jon Cooper of the Tampa Bay Lighting. While Tocchet’s team ultimately took the victory, it’s clear both wished the best for one-another regardless of the outcome.
Before the game had even begun, home-ice advantage was clearer than the city’s skies. Hordes of people had surrounded the gates waiting patiently for the arena’s doors to open. Jerseys ranged from Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers, to Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche, to game-MVP Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins. There were even some Team Sweden jerseys, representing a variety of players like Toronto Maple Leafs star William Nylander. One particular section in the lower bowl housed a couple of rows with blue-and-yellow jerseys with the Tre Konor plastered on the front.
It’s not unusual to see fans crowding the glass for warmups, but in the tournament’s first match, Team Canada’s half of the lower bowl was packed to the ends. Even the aisles were filled with fans in red, white, and black. As Team Canada came out of the dressing room, the arena roared with excitement — something that would occur periodically throughout the night.
Every fan in attendance was given a lanyard with a light attached to it that would glow according to the score. When Team Canada scored, the light would flash red. When Team Sweden scored, it turned yellow. Even throughout the TV timeouts and intermissions, the lights would go off in tune of whatever song was playing, or whatever fan-interaction segment was occurring. The lights were activated as a part of the tournament’s opening ceremony, adding to the mystical ambience of the Bell Centre.
While every Team Canada fan may favour a different team, there was an evident favouritism from the crowd towards captain Crosby — rightfully so. When his name was first called as a member of the starting lineup, every person inside the arena cheered. Other players received their share of applause, but none as much as Crosby. The only cheers that may have rivalled his were given to Mario Lemieux, who was a part of the ceremonial faceoff that took place at the start of the game. Joining him in representing their countries were Teemu Selänne for Finland, Mike Richter for USA, and Daniel Alfredsson for Sweden.
The game itself was fiery, with Canada showing off their flashy offense in a loaded power play including Crosby, MacKinnon, McDavid, Sam Reinhart, and Cale Makar. They took an early 1–0 lead off a goal from MacKinnon that had everyone out of their seat. Chants of “let’s go Canada” and “olé, olé, olé, olé” echoed throughout all three periods.
One negative part of the game came during the second period, when defender Shea Theodore left due to injury. Coach Cooper later announced that he would not be returning for the rest of the tournament, meaning that Team Canada fans will see Travis Sandheim in their next game against USA on Saturday night.
Just as expected from the best players that these four nations have to offer, the game was a close one, knotted even at 3–3 by the end of the third period. The 4 Nations’ overtime rules are different from the NHL’s, as teams are instructed to play 10 minutes of 3-on-3 rather than the usual five. Even so, every minute of play was filled with excitement, especially since Canada’s coaching staff eventually made the decision to put two speedsters in McDavid and MacKinnon together. However, it was Crosby who commanded the most attention during the extra frame, as the forward had the fans chanting his name once more the minute he stepped onto the ice. After Mitch Marner sent the puck past Sweden’s Filip Gustavsson, the Crosby chants continued.
This is the first time that Crosby has played on a Team Canada roster that includes MacKinnon and McDavid. He was named player of the game after tallying three assists, and had his name chanted throughout the Bell Centre even after his team had stepped off the ice. As snow began to fall on the streets of Montréal, the “Crosby” chants rang throughout the night.
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