Czech Please: Canada Moves on to Face Finland

·1 hr 9 min·6 clips

Bieksa explains why Canada's defense tightened up in an elimination game, risking their transition play.

This episode of The FAN Hockey Show features hosts Matt Marchese and Mike Futa alongside guest Kevin Bieksa, a former NHL defenseman and current analyst covering the men's Olympic hockey tournament. They discuss Canada's narrow overtime victory against the Czech Republic to advance to a semifinal matchup against Finland. Bieksa analyzes Canada's defensive play, noting a lack of transitional puck movement in the elimination game compared to their earlier dominant performance. He highlights Josh Morrissey's importance to the defense and points out that Thomas Harley's ice time increased to nearly 22 minutes due to his effective puck-moving. Bieksa contrasts Canada's defensive deployment with the United States, stating Quinn Hughes is clearly their number-one defenseman and logs long shifts. He describes Hughes's game-winning overtime play as an isolation move against a defender with knee injuries, creating the shooting lane. Bieksa argues Canada must better utilize its forward depth against Finland, suggesting Sam Bennett's potential return to center could create four reliable lines. He believes over-relying on Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, and Macklin Celebrini taxed them in the previous game after Sidney Crosby's injury. The hosts later discuss the emotional toll of watching high-stakes games, with Marchese admitting he felt like he was going to throw up during the overtime period. Former NHL defenseman Shane O'Brien joins the second segment, sharing his nervous reaction to Canada falling behind and praising coach Jon Cooper's calm bench management. O'Brien and the hosts analyze Mitch Marner's clutch overtime winner, acknowledging criticism of his five-on-five play but celebrating his repeated success in big moments for Team Canada. They also discuss the physical, intense style of Radko Gudas and the unique atmosphere of college hockey games with energetic, drinking student crowds. The tone is conversational and analytical, blending insider perspectives with fan excitement about the ongoing tournament. Hockey fans invested in Team Canada's Olympic journey and those interested in tactical game analysis would enjoy this episode. Listeners seeking a focused discussion solely on NHL regular-season news might find the Olympic-centric content less relevant.

As heard by us

Loose hockey talk that keeps circling back to Marner and Canada.

The Fan Hockey Show works best when Matt Marchese, Mike Futa, Kevin Bieksa, Shane O'Brien, and Elliot Friedman are just talking hockey without trying too hard to shape the room.

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Why you'd press play

You want Canada-Finland talk with no polish and plenty of room chatter.

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