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Jon Cooper started practice roughly 26 hours before Canada’s first do-or-die moment at the Milan Cortina Olympics.
There were two notable absences.
Word quickly filtered through a group of reporters penned in the corner of a cramped, temporary rink adjacent to Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena that both star forward Nathan MacKinnon and depth option Sam Bennett were absent from Tuesday’s mid-afternoon skate.
A member of Hockey Canada’s staff walked over a few minutes later to share that the pair were sitting out for “maintenance” and there wasn’t cause for concern.
“No panic,” Cooper added afterwards in a brief scrum.
The situation, however, was far less than ideal with the men’s hockey quarterfinals on deck Wednesday against Czechia following that country’s 3-2 victory over Denmark in Tuesday’s qualification round.
MacKinnon, who has two goals and three assists through three games, took a forearm cheap shot to the jaw from French defenceman Pierre Crinon in the third period of Sunday’s 10-2 victory that wrapped up Canada’s perfect preliminary round.
Tom Wilson dropped the gloves with Crinon — the first fight in Olympic hockey since 1998 — which resulted both players getting ejected under International Ice Hockey Federation rules on fisticuffs.
The 30-year-old MacKinnon was also on the receiving end of a knee-on-knee hit in the game’s dying moments, but indicated after the final buzzer there were no health concerns.
“He’s a bull,” Cooper said Tuesday of a player he’s put with Connor McDavid and Macklin Celebrini to create an ultra-talented line partway through the last two contests. “To have that much power, strength and skill all packaged in one, it’s a rarity.
“But he’s a gamer, that kid.”
Canadian captain Sidney Crosby, who like MacKinnon is from Cole Harbour, N.S., said he’s never once questioned his fellow centre’s toughness.
“I know how much he loves the game,” Crosby said. “He’ll play through anything. That’s never really in question.”
Josh Morrissey was a full participant in practice after leaving the country’s tournament opener against Czechia with an undisclosed injury before sitting out the last two games.
Cooper said Morrissey “looked great” skating with Colton Parayko, but didn’t know if he would be available for the quarters.
“That was a big thing for him to get out here,” said the coach. “We’ll see.”
Veteran forward Brad Marchand, meanwhile, is available for Canada in the quarters. He also missed the last two contests with an undisclosed ailment.
The 37-year-old said the issue was partially related to what saw him miss some time in the NHL last month.
“Part of it is old age,” Marchand, whose team stayed off the ice Monday, added with a smile. “Sometimes you gotta just take care of the body. Big picture, make sure you’re ready for the important times.”
The Halifax native said that on a roster with so much talent in the NHL’s Olympic return after a 12-year absence, he was happy to wait for his number to be called if not 100 per cent.
“The goal is to be here and be part of this team,” Marchand said. “It’s an incredible group ΓǪ coming in I didn’t think I would be in the lineup. I thought I would be an extra guy and be a voice, and try to be loud and obnoxious in the room.
“I’m just so proud and honoured to be part of this group. It doesn’t matter if you get in the lineup or not. Everybody is just as important and has a role to play.”
Canada beat Czechia 5-0 and Switzerland 5-1 before thumping the French to finish with a plus-17 goal differential and the No. 1 seed after the preliminary round.
“We’re excited for it,” said forward Bo Horvat. “These are the games that matter.”
Crosby has played plenty of these moments as one of two returnees, along with defenceman Drew Doughty, from Canada’s gold-medal wins in 2010 and 2014.
“We understand the circumstances, and what we need to do, and what got us to this point as far as our identity,” said the 38-year-old. “Stakes are a little higher now.”
Cooper was asked what his message will be to the team in its first win-or-go home moment at the Olympics.
“You don’t want players playing the game not to make mistakes,” he said. “I want them on their toes, not their heels. That’s the way we have to play it, and see how the chips fall. But I like our mentality. It’s not qualification or quarterfinal, whatever — we’re on Game 4. We gotta win six.
“This is Game 4. Let’s go make the best of it.”
