Marner’s massive moment helps Canada advance past Czechia in overtime thriller
For a moment, it looked like Czechia was about to do the unthinkable.
They held a 3-2 lead with less than five minutes remaining. Canada’s gold medal dreams were nearly dashed in the quarter-finals.
However, two players outside of the stars helped Canada avoid disaster.
After missing an empty net in the second period, Montreal Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki tied the game 3-3 late in the third period.
Then, in overtime, a Canadian not named Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, or Macklin Celebrini played hero.
Mitch Marner went streaking in on Czechia goaltender Lukas Dostal and backhanded home the overtime winner, giving Canada a thrilling 4-3 win in overtime.
MITCH MARNER 🚨
CANADA WINS CANADA WINS CANADA WINS 🇨🇦 pic.twitter.com/sKICnjLnA6
— CBC Olympics (@CBCOlympics) February 18, 2026
Remember when some Toronto Maple Leafs fans and pundits believe that Marner wasn’t a big-game player?
Well, the Markham, Ontario native just scored one of the biggest goals in Canadian history.
“I just saw I had a hole there, and luckily enough, I saw that I was able to get into a spot and get the puck off of my stick,” he told Sportsnet’s Kyle Bukauskas after the game.
“I thought it had a chance to go in, and lucky enough, it did.”
Marner credited the team around him for showing enough resilience to avoid a monumental collapse.
“The game was a battle, guys didn’t quit. We stayed and trusted our systems and ourselves and we got rewarded for it.”
Marner also credited his family and baby son in Italy for helping him succeed on the ice.
“It’s a special thing to have my son here,” he said. “It makes me feel so much love and so much calmness.”
Despite the stress, Canada stays alive and will play on Friday for a chance to advance to the Gold Medal Game.
“I think I need a cigarette,” analyst James Duthie said after the game.
“That was one of the greatest hockey games I’ve ever seen,” Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said.
More to come…
