Photo credit: James Lang-Imagn Images
Team Canada head coach Jon Cooper had the ultimate chirp for Finland goaltender Juuse Saros after a tight Olympic semi-final victory on Friday.
Canada officially punched their ticket to the gold medal game with a thrilling 3-2 comeback win. The entire nation is breathing a massive sigh of relief.
They expected a heavy, physical trap game from the Finns. Instead, they ran directly into an absolute brick wall between the pipes.
Cooper was in incredibly high spirits during his postgame media availability. The tension of the sudden-death tournament format had clearly lifted off his shoulders.
He could afford to be completely relaxed. His star-studded roster survived a massive scare on the biggest international stage in the sport.
When reporters asked about the opposing netminder frustrating the loaded Canadian offense, the veteran bench boss flashed a sly grin. "What's his commercial... no goals?" Cooper quipped to the room.
A Masterclass In The Crease
It was a hilarious piece of locker room banter brought straight to the podium. The soundbite was instantly everywhere on social media feeds.
But the quick-witted remark downplayed exactly how close this contest actually was from start to finish. The reality is Saros nearly stole this matchup single-handedly for the heavy underdogs.
Canada dictated the pace immediately from the opening faceoff. They tilted the ice, limited turnovers, and completely controlled the transition game.
The shot clock was heavily lopsided at 14-3 in the second period alone. Yet, the Nashville Predators star stood tall in the crease.
He tracked pucks perfectly through heavy traffic and refused to yield weak rebounds. Finishing with a massive 36 saves, Saros straight up robbed Mitch Marner on a clean look.
He followed that up by kicking out the right pad to deny Macklin Celebrini from the slot during a chaotic sequence.
Finland was massively outmatched in terms of raw offensive output. After jumping out to an early lead, they struggled to mount any sustained pressure inside the Canadian blue line.
Their entire tactical approach relied on their goaltender playing out of his mind. Saros absolutely delivered on that front to keep things incredibly stressful for the opposing bench.
Canada finally completed the thrilling comeback deep into the third period. Nathan MacKinnon wired a power play one-timer to find the back of the net with 35 seconds remaining. Cooper gets the victory and the undisputed quote of the tournament.
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