Crosby made Nick Suzuki ‘Next Man Up’, could be for Team Canada again

In a tournament full of superstars like Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon and Sidney Crosby, it was Montreal Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki – a two-way center who played out of position as a winger for much of the tournament – ​​who delivered the moment that kept Canada’s gold medal dreams alive.

Suzuki scored perhaps the biggest goal of his hockey career at the 2026 Winter Olympics on Wednesday, scoring while Team Canada trailed 3-2 against a gritty Czech team with just over three minutes remaining in their quarterfinal match.

Things weren’t looking good for Team Canada. Crosby had already retired with a lower-body injury, MacKinnon was not at full strength, the team did not lead at any point except the start of the first period, and the weight of a country’s expectations had insiders like Elliotte Friedman admitting they thought the Czech Republic would win.

That’s when Suzuki jumped the boards for what could have been his final serve of the tournament.

He showed his hockey IQ by staying just off the ice when he probably would have otherwise changed and after digging to get the puck going again, he was in the right place at the right time to put a beauty home.

“Like I said, he’s a Swiss Army Knife, he can play with anyone and I thought he took his game to the next level,” head coach Jon Cooper said after the game. “And when our country needed a goal, Nick Suzuki answered, and good for him.”

Suzuki created that goal out of thin air

Suzuki didn’t just tip. He worked on creating the entire sequence that led to the goal and ultimately completed the play. He started deep in the zone and chipped the puck forward instead of dumping and switching despite a long shift. He won a crucial board battle against Czech defender Filip Hronek, keeping possession alive and causing chaos. That allowed Seth Jarvis to get involved and get 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 left, tying the match at 3-3.

The play forced overtime, with Mitch Marner sealing the 4-3 victory in just 1:22 in 3-on-3 with a backhand dagger. Marner was clearly a hero too, but it was Suzuki’s complete run to tie the game that made Marner’s play possible.

That was an elite play,” said teammate Brad Marchand. “I don’t know where he was on his shift, but the fact that he got that in himself, created the forecheck and won a battle, allowing those guys to get in – it’s not just the tip, it’s the whole play. That’s what guys sometimes don’t get credit for. He has already done that a thousand times during the tournament, but some people only count points.”

Even Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis, a 2014 Olympic gold medalist with Canada, noticed how the entire series had Suzuki’s fingerprints all over it.

“I feel like if you were to ask Nick, I think Nick expects himself to be there, and he’s made progress and he’s been on the path to being one of those guys,” St. Louis said earlier this week.

Suzuki was almost a healthy scratch in that game

It’s important to remember that Suzuki was on a shortlist of players who almost didn’t play in that match. Suzuki’s versatility was commendable, but he had not been extremely effective leading up to the elimination matches. He only saw limited minutes in blowout games (such as the 10-2 thrashing of France) and faced rumors about him potentially slipping into the bottom six, or having to watch out for others who were in the right position and felt like a more natural fit.

But Cooper trusted him to slide everywhere — center, wing, penalties, faceoffs, shutdown matchups — and Suzuki got another look. His chances increased when Crosby went down and Suzuki slid back to center.

That versatility proved crucial against the Czech Republic.

This wasn’t just any goal – it was potentially the biggest of Suzuki’s career, one that breathed new life into the Canadian tournament and silenced early doubters – Canada takes on Finland on Friday – and expect Suzuki to have opportunities to continue to be a difference-maker. Crosby is a maybe for the game. If he can’t go, Suzuki has some big skates to fill.

Next: Team Canada provides new update on Sidney Crosby’s status