SAN JOSE – Joe Thornton and Owen Nolan each had their chances. So did Joe Pavelski and Marc-Edouard Vlasic, among others. Patrick Marleau had two chances.
Now it’s Macklin Celebrini’s turn to play in the Olympic gold medal game as a member of the San Jose Sharks.
Celebrini and Team Canada will play the United States in the Olympics on Sunday morning at the Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena in Italy. Canada advanced by defeating Finland 3-2, and in the lead-up to the final on Friday, the Americans defeated Pavol Regenda who won Slovakia and the Sharks 6-2.
This match is a rematch of last year’s 4 Nations Face-Off between the neighboring countries, where Canada won 3-2 thanks to a goal by Connor McDavid in extra time.
It also marks the third time the two countries have met in the Olympic gold medal game, with Canada winning the previous two meetings in 2002 in Salt Lake City and 2010 in Vancouver.
At least one Sharks player has participated in four of the six gold medal games since the NHL began sending players to the Olympics in 1998. Six players have won Olympic gold medals as members of the Sharks. If Canada wins on Sunday, Celebrini, 19, could be the youngest member of that select group.
Here is a quick summary of those games.
United States vs. Canada, Feb. 24, 2002: Forward Owen Nolan and Team Canada faced Sharks defenseman Gary Suter and the Americans in Salt Lake City.
Nolan was the Sharks’ leading scorer in the 2001-02 season, and Suter, even at age 37, was San Jose’s leading defenseman. Suter is also the younger brother of Bob Suter, who was part of the American Miracle on Ice team that won gold at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid.
Neither Nolan nor Suter scored, as Canada broke the season-high scoring streak by scoring three unanswered goals for a 5-2 victory.
United States vs. Canada, Feb. 28, 2010: Thornton, Marleau, Dan Boyle, and Dany Heatley all played at home as Canada faced the US in the gold medal game in Vancouver, with forward Joe Pavelski a big part of the American team.
The Canadians took a 2-0 lead on goals by Jonathan Toews and Corey Perry before Ryan Kesler pulled one goal back for the Americans at 12:44 of the second period. Zach Parise then tied the game for the US with just 25 seconds left in regulation.
With 12:37 left in overtime, Pavelski nearly scored when he intercepted a Scott Niedermayer pass and fired a close-range shot that handcuffed Canadian goalkeeper Roberto Luongo.
Less than 2O seconds later, in the Americans’ zone, Sidney Crosby took a pass from Jarome Iginla and fired a low shot from an acute angle that beat US goalkeeper Ryan Miller, setting off a huge celebration inside the stadium. It is still known in Canada as “The Golden Goal.”
Just as they were in San Jose, Marleau, Thornton, and Heatley made a beeline for Canada. They couldn’t score in the gold medal game but they mustered eight shots on goal.
Canada vs. Sweden, Feb. 23, 2014: Marleau, Vlasic, and the Canadians faced Sweden in the gold medal game in Sochi, Russia.
Neither Marleau nor Vlasic hit the scoresheet in Canada’s hard-fought 3-0 win, but both played important roles in the win and the tournament as a whole.
Marleau wasn’t on Team Canada’s radar when the selection process began last summer, but he had a strong start to the season, and he rewarded Canadian coach Mike Babcock’s faith in him by being a quick, responsible winger as he, Toews, and Jeff Carter formed an effective forward line.
Vlasic, too, has had an important role as defensive partner Drew Doughty. Vlasic played a steady, reliable game, allowing the attacking-minded Doughty to create scoring opportunities at the back.
