In a tournament stacked with superstars like Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, and Sidney Crosby, it was Montreal Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki—a two-way center who was playing much of the tournament out of position as a winger—who delivered the moment that kept Canada’s gold-medal dreams alive.
Scoring arguably the biggest goal of his hockey career at the 2026 Winter Olympics on Wednesday, Suzuki scored while Team Canada was trailing 3-2 to a gritty Czechia squad with just over three minutes left in regulation during their quarterfinal matchup.
Things didn’t look good for Team Canada. Crosby had already exited with a lower-body injury, MacKinnon wasn’t at full strength, the team didn’t lead at any point except early in the first period, and the weight of a nation’s expectations had insiders like Elliotte Friedman admitting they thought Czechia was going to win.
That’s when Suzuki hopped over the boards for what could have been his final shift of the tournament.
Showing his hockey IQ by staying on the ice just past when he would have likely otherwise changed and after digging to stir the puck back up, he was in the right place at the right time to tip home a beauty.
“Like I told you, he’s a Swiss army knife, he can play with anybody, and I thought he elevated his game,” head coach Jon Cooper said post-game. “And when our country needed a goal, Nick Suzuki answered, and good for him.”
Suzuki Created That Goal Out of Nothing
Suzuki didn’t just tip in a lucky bounce. He worked to create the entire sequence that led to the goal, ultimately finishing the play. Starting deep in the zone, he chipped the puck forward instead of dumping and changing despite a long shift. He won a crucial board battle against Czech defenseman Filip Hronek, kept possession alive, and drove the forecheck to create chaos. That allowed Seth Jarvis to get involved, feeding the puck back to the point for Devon Toews. Suzuki then flashed to the net and perfectly redirected Toews’ wrist shot through Lukas Dostal‘s five-hole with 3:27 remaining, tying the game at 3-3.
The play forced overtime, where Mitch Marner sealed the 4-3 win just 1:22 into 3-on-3 with a backhand dagger. Marner was clearly a hero as well, but it was Suzuki’s full sequence to tie the game that made Marner’s play possible.
That was an elite play,” teammate Brad Marchand said. “I don’t know where he was at in his shift but the fact he got that in by himself, created the forecheck and won a battle, allowing those guys to get in — it’s not just the tip, it’s the entire play. That’s what sometimes guys don’t get credit for. He’s done that 1,000 times throughout the tournament, but some people are just counting points.”
Even Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis, a 2014 Olympic gold medalist with Canada, saw how the whole series had Suzuki’s fingerprints all over it.
“I feel like if you asked Nick, I think Nick expects himself to be there, and he’s progressed and he’s been on that path of being one of those guys,” St. Louis said earlier in the week.
Suzuki Was Almost a Healthy Scratch In That Game
It’s important to remember that Suzuki was on a short list of players who almost didn’t play in that game. Suzuki’s versatility has been commendable, but he hadn’t been extremely effective leading into the elimination games. He saw limited minutes in blowouts (like the 10-2 thrashing of France) and faced chatter about potentially being a bottom-six option or sitting out for others who were in their right positions and felt like a more natural fit.
But Cooper trusted him to slide anywhere—center, wing, penalty kill, faceoffs, shutdown matchups—and Suzuki got one more look. His opportunities increased when Crosby went down, and Suzuki slid back to center.
That versatility proved vital against Czechia.
This wasn’t just any goal—it was potentially the biggest of Suzuki’s career, one that revived Canada’s tournament and silenced early doubters — Canada will take on Finland on Friday — expect Suzuki to get chances to remain a difference-maker. Crosby is a maybe for the game. If he can’t go, Suzuki has some sizeable skates to fill.
Next: Team Canada Provides New Update on the Status of Sidney Crosby
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