It’s all about whoever is hottest and healthiest at the end. And place an extra emphasis on HEALTHIEST!
With the Championship Game for The Four Nations Face-Off Tournament scheduled for Thursday night, Team USA is banged up and that’s putting it lightly.
Charlie McAvoy is done for the tournament after being hospitalized Monday night due to an infection that stems from getting injured Saturday night against Team Canada. Matthew and Brady Tkachuk are dealing with injuries that have caused them to miss parts of the last two games. Auston Matthews was a last-minute scratch prior to Team USA’s tilt against Sweden. And Vincent Trocheck missed part of the Sweden game as well.
That’s a lot of top guys who are not close to being 100% healthy. Quinn Hughes, who was originally on the team’s roster and then had to back out due to injury is flying to Boston in case another defenseman joins McAvoy on the sidelines. Talk about coming full circle, sort of.
Meanwhile, Team Canada is as healthy as a team can be at this point in the calendar. Cale Makar, who missed Saturday’s game against The USA due to illness, was back in the lineup against Finland and has since declared he is good to go for Thursday night. Sure, some of Canada’s guys have some nicks and bruises, but they’re certainly in a better spot than America as far as injuries are concerned.
With all that in mind, here are some of the notable quotes from Tuesday’s media availabilities with both teams.
1) Chris Kreider, when he wasn’t being called, “Old” by one of the reporters in the crowd, shared his thoughts on playing for a team that has several of his former coaches in charge. “I had David (Quinn), Torts (John Tortorella) and Sully (Mike Sullivan) in New York. Had (John) Hynes at a World Championship. So, that familiarity makes it a little easier to come in from day one, knowing that you’ve got those relationships. I just think there’s been really strong communication from the get-go, everyone kind of understanding their role and the part that they need to play for the team to be successful.”
2) Jake Sanderson was asked to talk about how, even though there’s so much offensive talent on the teams, goals seem to be at a premium. “It is crazy. You see some of the best players in The League and they’re not able to make plays. Everyone’s so good. You’re on top of everyone. The skating too. It kind of puts some perspective on how special this tournament is.”
3) Brock Nelson gave his thoughts on all the “mainstream” coverage Saturday’s Canada-USA game received. “There’s a lot of buzz from that Saturday game, from people outside the game who maybe weren’t regulars and kind of tuned in or saw little bits of it and enjoyed it. So, I think this has been great. The expectations were high, but I think it’s gone beyond that. So, we probably gained a few (new) fans.”
4) USA’s Head Coach Mike Sullivan shared an update on Auston Matthews and how he views Matthews’ leadership. “I would anticipate Auston being available for the Championship Game. As far as his leadership and wearing The ‘C’ for us. He’s done a terrific job. As I said when asked about Auston’s leadership, as I’ve gotten to know him through the course of this experience, my sense is that he’s a quiet leader.
“He has a quiet confidence about him. He carries himself in a very confident way. I think the best way he leads us is through example. He’s inspiring the way he plays on the ice. He competes extremely hard. He’s got a great 200-foot game. And I think that is his best form of leadership for the group. I know how much respect he has from his teammates, his coaches and the managers.”
5) Anthony Cirelli has won two Cups with Tampa Bay, so he knows how to handle playing in a big game. Here’s what he had to say in regard to how those experiences have helped him in this tournament. “It’s helped a lot. I mean, playing those high-pressure, tight-knit games over the years. I think it’s helped just in that moment of how to play. You gotta be on it for the full 60. That’s the biggest thing. Right from the get-go, we just gotta stick to our structure, stick to our game. I think those experiences in the past will help for Thursday.”
6) Lastly, Canada’s Head Coach Jon Cooper got a little emotional when talking about his feelings from Saturday night, from winning Two Stanley Cups and on the possibility of winning a championship for his country. “If I can visualize when, I don’t know how to say this. After the way the game started (on Saturday) and if you just, I remember looking at the crowd. I stopped watching what was going on on the ice. So if you could envision what was going on in the crowd, that was how I’m feeling right now. And so, when you think of it that way, that’s what it means to me.”
