SAN JOSE — Joe Thornton and Owen Nolan each had their opportunities. 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 an Olympic gold medal game as a member of the San Jose Sharks.
Celebrini and Team Canada will play the United States for Olympic gold Sunday morning at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena in Italy. Canada advanced with a 3-2 win over Finland, and in Friday’s other semifinal, the Americans beat Slovakia and Sharks winger Pavol Regenda 6-2.
The game is a rematch of last year’s riveting 4 Nations Face-Off final between the neighboring countries, which Canada won 3-2 on Connor McDavid’s overtime goal.
It also represents the third time the two nations have faced each other in an 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 been involved in four of the six gold medal games since the NHL started sending its players to the Olympics in 1998. Six players have won Olympic gold medals as members of the Sharks. If Canada wins Sunday, Celebrini, at 19, would be the youngest in that select group.
Here’s a quick recap 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 during the 2001-02 season, and Suter, even at 37 years old, was San Jose’s leading scorer on defense. Suter is also the younger brother of Bob Suter, who was part of the Americans’ Miracle on Ice team that won gold at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid.
Neither Nolan nor Suter figured into the scoring, as Canada broke a second-period tie by scoring three unanswered goals to earn a 5-2 win.
United States vs. Canada, Feb. 28, 2010: Thornton, Marleau, Dan Boyle, and Dany Heatley all played on home soil as Canada faced the U.S. in the gold medal game in Vancouver, with forward Joe Pavelski a big part of the American team.
The Canadians had a 2-0 lead on goals by Jonathan Toews and Corey Perry before Ryan Kesler got one goal back for the Americans at 12:44 into the second period. Zach Parise then tied the game for the U.S. with just 25 seconds left in regulation time.
With 12:37 left in overtime, Pavelski nearly scored as he intercepted a Scott Niedermayer pass and fired a shot from close range that handcuffed Canadian goalie 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 a sharp angle that beat U.S. goalie Ryan Miller, setting off a wild celebration inside the arena. It is still known in Canada as “The Golden Goal.”
Just as they were in San Jose, Marleau, Thornton, and Heatley formed a line for Canada. They did not figure into the scoring in the gold medal game but combined for 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 smothering 3-0 win, but they both played significant roles in the victory and the tournament as a whole.
Marleau wasn’t on Team Canada’s radar once the selection process began the previous summer, but had a solid start to that season, and rewarded Canadian coach Mike Babcock’s faith in him by being a fast, responsible winger as he, Toews, and Jeff Carter formed an effective forward line.
Vlasic, too, had an important role as Drew Doughty’s defense partner. Vlasic played a steady, responsible game, allowing the more offensively inclined Doughty to create scoring chances on the back end.
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