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Fans at a Scotiabank Arena watch party react as they watch the men’s gold medal hockey game between Canada and the U.S.Sarah Espedido/The Globe and Mail
They descended upon Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena in a wash of red, white and black jerseys, maple leaves painted on cheeks, Canadian flags draped over their shoulders. But beneath the surge of national pride among the thousands of hockey fans heading to the Canada vs. U.S.A. gold medal hockey game watch party, there was a current of quiet anxiety.
Outside of the arena, 16-year-old Matthew Thatton, decked out in a Sidney Crosby Pittsburgh Penguins’ jersey, was still processing that his favourite player would be sitting out of the game. “I just heard the news on the way down.” He was disappointed, of course, but was feeling optimistic about the outcome.
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From left: Ari Dhalia, Matthew Thatton, Andrew Thatton, Andre Zorjav and Cooper LaPlante made the trip to Scotiabank Arena in Toronto from their homes in Milton, Ont., to watch Sunday’s gold medal hockey game.Samantha Edwards/The Globe and Mail
“I’m still feeling confident – and nervous,” added Cooper LaPlante, who along with Thatton and three other friends, came from Milton, Ont., for the game. “We watched the semi-finals at our school in the gym,” said LaPlante about the Feb. 20 game against Finland. “That definitely piqued our interest in coming here for the game.”
Across the country, bars, pubs, restaurants, community centres and arenas were packed with hockey fans hoping they could witness Canada win gold with a team made up of their favourite players, the first time since the Sochi Games in 2014 that NHLers have been back at the Olympics. That dream was crushed when the U.S. won on an overtime goal.
In many provinces, leaders approved early alcohol sales to accommodate the morning game, giving fans the chance to stress-eat a hearty breakfast alongside a pint of beer. At Scotiabank Arena, some 2,000 beers were sold, 250 Caesars, more than 1,800 coffees and teas, and 500 breakfast sandwiches. The scent of bacon-wrapped hot dogs was ever-present.
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In Ottawa, hockey fans started lining up to enter the Craft Beer Market at 5:30 a.m. for the watch party. As the minutes ticked down and Canada remained scoreless for the first period and most of the second, fans put their hands on their heads, leaned back in their chairs and were visibly upset. The stress was palpable.
Emotions ricocheted throughout the game: In Ottawa, fans jumped to their feet, erupted into a spirited Ole, Ole, Ole, and issued enthusiastic profanities when Canadian player Cale Makar brought the game to a 1-1 tie near the end of the second period. Likewise, at Scotiabank Arena, the goal reinvigorated the crowd of 7,500, as fans waved rally towels and chanted “Let’s go Canada.”
Then came overtime, and within two minutes, the game was over. U.S. forward Jack Hughes fired a shot past Canadian goaltender Jordan Binnington, winning the gold medal for the United States.
In Ottawa, Aodhan Pritchard stared blankly at the TV screen at Craft Beer Market. Pritchard, who says he felt both stressed and excited earlier in the game, brought both hands to his face, sitting in silence. His friend, Violet Nicholson, watched as the American players celebrated on ice, her jaw dropped and mouth gaping open.
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Nerissa Pelkonen and Dean Pelkonen, Maple Leaf fans who watched Sunday’s gold medal game at Scotiabank Arena.Samantha Edwards/The Globe and Mail
There was at least one person thrilled at the outcome. At Scotiabank Arena, Nerissa Pelkonen sported an Auston Matthews Team U.S.A. jersey, eliciting a rumble of boos as she drank a beer on the concourse. She was at the game with her husband, Dean Pelkonen, who wore a Mitch Marner jersey.
Though they both root for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Dean says he’s tried and failed to convert her into a Team Canada fan. “It makes me angry all the time. We always have arguments about who we cheer for,” he laughed. “But at the end of the day, we love each other.” There was also a silver lining: “No matter what team wins, one person will walk away with a golden jersey.”
Prime Minister Mark Carney, who joined a watch party in Chelsea, Que., and wore a jersey he was gifted earlier this year by the women’s national team with his surname on the back, posted on X after the game: “Congratulations on a hard-fought and well-earned silver, @TeamCanada. You made your country proud.”
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Sarah Espedido/The Globe and Mail
Seconds after the U.S. clinched the gold medal, streams of dejected fans filed out of the arena. The few stragglers who remained to watch the medal ceremony shook their heads, trying to make sense of what just happened.
“I feel a little hurt,” said Tom Daly, who watched the game with his wife, Kristina Ellis. “It’s unfortunate they ended up deciding this gold medal game on a 3-on-3 game. I don’t consider that real hockey. I went into OT feeling that way. I felt like whichever way it went, it would have an asterisk on it.”
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In overtime at the Olympics, the number of players is reduced to three for each team, plus the goalie.
Matthew Micallef was also frustrated the outcome ended in a 3-on-3 overtime. “It was a tough game,” he said. “But the boys tried hard.” He grew up watching Crosby and vividly remembers sitting inches from the TV as his favourite player scored the golden goal during the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, and is disappointed that this may have been Crosby’s last chance at a gold medal.
Thatton looked dejected, a smudged Canadian flag painted on his cheek. “I thought the refs missed a couple of calls,” he said.
Nine-year-old James Rankin, a Connor McDavid super fan wearing the Oilers’ captain’s jersey under a newly-acquired Team Canada jersey, was also feeling sad. “We should’ve won the game because we were all over them.”
“I’m bummed out,” said his dad Steve Rankin. “I have no words.”
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James, left and Steve Rankin.Samantha Edwards/The Globe and Mail
