Eric O’Dell is not a big name on the Canadian men’s Olympic hockey team. The Ottawa product plays on the third line — the energy line — and is expected to forecheck hard, cycle the puck and maximize his minutes.
The 31-year-old centre did just that Thursday, flattening defenseman Marco Nowak just four minutes into Canada’s opening match versus Germany.
The thunderous bodycheck sent Nowak crashing to the ice. With Team Germany seemingly in shock — and Nowak still in a heap behind the net — defenseman Alex Grant ripped a wrist shot top shelf to give Canada a 1-0 lead.
Most importantly, the sequence confirmed Canada’s intentions of punishing and outworking the opposition in a rare men’s tournament where the guys wearing the Maple Leaf are not considered the favorites.
“He came around the net with his head down and I finished my check,” O’Dell said, mildly understating the impact of the bone-rattling collision with Nowak. “The team built off that and we got a couple of goals after that.
“So it was good.”
Good? Try great as Canada went on to defeat Germany 5-1 in a convincing victory that O’Dell hopes sets the tone for the entire tournament.
The 2022 non-NHL version of Team Canada includes names that hockey fans will need to look up on the internet, but it’s deep, it’s physical, and it’s in Beijing to win.
Making the opening-night triumph even sweeter is the fact Canada lost to Germany in the semifinals at the 2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
“It is in the back of your mind,” said O’Dell, one of three returnees from the 2018 Canadian side. “It was a tough loss and it felt good to get the win today.”
On Thursday, Canada stormed out to a 3-0 lead in the first period and never looked back. “It was everything you hope for happens,” Grant said in describing the night. “It’s kind of what you dream of.”
