MILAN — When his international rival and Los Angeles Kings teammate left Friday’s game in agony and on a stretcher, Drew Doughty wanted to cut his media availabilities short and go find his friend “as fast as I can.”
Doughty’s attempt would be in vain.
Kevin Fiala had been rushed from Milano Santagiulia Arena to the hospital, where he underwent season-ending surgery to repair fractures in his left leg.
Doughty tried getting hold of Fiala on the phone.
“But he didn’t respond. And I’m sure he’s high as could be on whatever, trying to take the pain away. So, I’ll go check my phone right now,” Doughty said late Sunday night. “Either way, I’m gonna go see him at the hospital.”
This was always the risk, if not an inevitability.
Send so many NHLers overseas for an intense best-on-best tournament on less-than-perfect ice, and some of them are going to return to their NHL teams worse for wear.
Until offence-starved L.A. traded for Artemi Panarin, Fiala was the Kings’ leading scorer (20 goals, 46 points). And the team is in go-for-it mode. The Kings need him.
Just as the New York Islanders needed their leading scorer, John Tavares, in 2014. Tavares tore his MCL in Sochi, an injury that robbed him of participation in the gold medal game and ended his season. The Islanders were furious.
The Kings can’t be thrilled, either. But this is a risk the players fought for.
“We know that’s a possibility, but we don’t care,” Doughty says. “We want to play, and it’s best-on-best hockey. We’re not worried about that as players. We don’t come here worrying about being hurt. We just come here to try to win games and win a gold medal.
“I mean, people get hurt all the time. I’ve missed 80 games in the last three years. Just the way she goes. And it’s s—– and unfortunate, and I feel for Kevin big time. But it’s just part of the game.”
From his hospital bed, Fiala recorded and sent an emotional video message to his Swiss teammates to pump them up ahead of a 3-2 overtime victory over Czechia Sunday.
“He’s still with us,” Nico Hischier said. “We’ll play for him.
“He’s one of our best players, so it’s obviously a tough loss for us. He’s still engaged with us and he’ll cheer us on.”
The Swiss hold no ill will to Canada’s Tom Wilson, who accidentally fell on Fiala’s leg after the two awkwardly collided along the boards.
“It’s just bad luck. He’s a competitor, and we’re here at the Olympic Games. I feel terrible at the thought that he might not be able to continue playing,” Wilson said. “I send my best wishes to him and his family. You never want to see someone miss a tournament like this. It’s really bitter for his country, for his team. I just wish him a speedy recovery.”
Auston Matthews ‘plays winning hockey’
Early in the event, Mike Sullivan gently called out Matthews and his line, which is flanked by Jake Guentzel and Matt Boldy. The U.S. coach and his staff even discussed mixing up the personnel around the Toronto Maple Leafs centreman.
“I think they’re capable of making more of an impact on the game, and we’ll walk the line of trying to let them play through stuff,” Sullivan said last week. “We’re trying to give them a chance to build a little bit of chemistry and we’ll go from there, but certainly we think they’re capable of making more of an impact.”
Well, Matthews erupted for three points Sunday and was arguably the best player on the ice in Team USA’s 5-1 victory over Germany.
Sullivan’s patience is paying off, as he says Matthews’ unit is improving by the day.
“Auston’s game is building. It’s getting better with every game,” Sullivan said. “We’ve exercised some patience with that group, because we feel like those guys are capable, and we try to give them an opportunity to build a little bit of chemistry, and I think it’s unfolding right in front of us.”
With three goals and two assists, the captain leads all Americans in scoring and ranks fifth overall through the preliminary round.
“He’s been great all tournament,” Guentzel said. “You guys put a lot of heat on him for no reason. He’s just an unbelievable player and plays in all situations.”
Detroit’s Dylan Larkin sees plenty of shifts against Matthews in the Atlantic Division. He’s enjoying sharing a bench with him.
“People don’t realize how much he sacrifices his offence to be in good defensive position. And that’s winning hockey. He plays winning hockey. Plays like a leader should play and blocks shots. Good on faceoffs,” Larkin said.
“He was used as a matchup guy and still produced. That’s one of the hardest jobs in hockey — you got to shut someone down and try and score. He did that (Sunday), and that’s world-class.”
Matthews has brought his whole family over to Italy and is having a blast.
“Just spending so much time with everybody at the village. I mean, there’s lots of laughs. Finally, being on this stage and playing is a lot of fun,” Matthews said.
“It’s obviously a big honour to wear this jersey and represent your country and see all the support — the USA flags, the chants… so it’s just been a really special experience.”
Sullivan describes Matthews as “a quiet guy by nature” but one who leads his teammates through action: a blend of game-breaking skill and defensive detail.
“His defensive game gets underrated. He tracks back hard. He’s committed defensively in the defensive zone. There’s an element of physicality to his game. He’s getting inside. The goal he scores in the blue paint is a perfect example,” Sullivan said.
“It inspires the group with the way that he played (versus Germany). And all our guys know what he’s capable of. He’s an elite player. He’s one of the best players in the world. And so, when he does a lot of little things, and he’s committed to play on both sides of the puck like he is tonight, I think he’s an inspiration to all of them.”
Hughes has a sixth sense
Quinn Hughes was asked if he ever chuckles when he hears the Tkachuks chirping.
“I mean, I dunno,” the U.S. defenceman replied. “I’m usually pretty zoned in on what’s going on with myself and trying to get ready to do what I need to do.
“Sometimes you hear some funny stuff out there, but, yeah… as the people say, I’m usually seeing ghosts, so I’m usually focused on myself.”
Love how self-aware he is about his unawareness.
Pierre-Edouard Bellemare is an international treasure
Following a 700-game NHL career, the 40-year-old French captain continues to ply his trade in the Swiss League.
Team France could not have a better spokesman than the affable, intelligent, and insightful Bellemare, who conducts his scrums in three languages and doles out quotes as scrumptious as croissants. Even after a 10-2 loss.
Bellemare on Nathan MacKinnon saying that Macklin Celebrini is already better than him:
“Nate is a little bit generous, but I haven’t had the chance to play against that kid (until now), and he looks absolutely amazing. It’s a long time since I’ve seen a guy coming in the league and play like he’s been in the league for 15 years. Like, he played like a veteran, I feel. I think he’s 19 or whatever it is.”
Yep, 19.
“God damn. It’s good that I stopped in the NHL. If this is what it’s gonna look, it’s better for me to not be in there anymore.”
Bellemare on what he’s seen from Connor McDavid in Milan:
“One of the best players in the world. Like, I wasn’t expecting anything different, right? What I saw in him different is that he’s hustling, and he’s hitting guys. Just fun to see a guy that is that talented decide, ‘You know what? I’m gonna show I can grind too.’ That’s cool. So, a lot of respect.”
USA x Snoop Dogg collab
Snoop Dogg, the busiest man in showbiz, swung by Team USA’s compound to give the hockey players a pump-up speech ahead of the tournament.
Dylan Larkin: “One of the few people I’ve met that’s kind of larger than life. You look at him, he doesn’t even look real. So, it was an awesome experience. We got to talk to him, and then there’s cameras around, and he can just turn it on and be in entertainer mode right away. It’s pretty impressive. Getting to meet him was just another thing I’ll remember forever.”
Charlie McAvoy: “Just getting to meet him and see what his energy is — he was awesome. I took a million pictures. He’s a different kind of celebrity than we are. It’s just fun. There’s a lot of really cool experiences that come with all the support that we’re getting.”
Jeremy Swayman: “I felt bad. I didn’t want to keep him too long, so we just talked about (being a) goalie a little bit, and he spread his wingspan. It was, like, nine feet long. So, I said he’d be a good one.”
Matthew Tkachuk: “He was hilarious. It was a lot of fun. He had some great one-liners and just made for a hilarious 15 or 20 minutes. I mean, some of it was motivating. Some of it was just pretty funny. A lot of selfies.”
Connor Hellebuyck believes in himself more than you do
How good does Team USA’s starting goalie feel about his game?
“Is there more than a hundred percent?” Hellebuyck laughs. “No, I feel good.”
Hellebuyck (2-0) leads all Olympic goaltenders with a .952 save percentage, and backup Swayman had some shaky moments in his one start. Hellebuyck is the guy.
“He’s one of the best goalies in the world,” Matt Boldy said.
“He’s confident. He wants to be in the net. He wants to make the saves and to make a big difference. He has the skills to back it up, but I think that attitude and how confident he is in himself and in his game is what makes him so great.”
One-Timers: Who should start in net for the struggling Team Sweden? Filip Gustavsson (1-1) is the country’s No. 1, but he has posted an .889 save percentage. No. 2 Jacob Markstrom delivered a nice win over Slovakia. Coach Sam Hallam has made his decision but declined to announce it… Who comes out of Canada’s lineup for Brad Marchand in the quarterfinal? Sam Bennet logged the lowest ice time versus France (9:19), but no way I’m not taking him out. Seth Jarvis was the initial scratch, but Nick Suzuki hasn’t looked great on the wing… Canada’s power-play: 44.4 per cent.
