Dear Reader,

Were you watching in a bar? Your living room? From the edge of your couch, half-standing, half-praying as Mitch Marner spotted Connor McDavid alone in the slot? Was the rest of it just a blur of jumping and cheering and hugs with family and friends?

 
On a Thursday night in Boston, the Canadian men’s hockey team provided us all with one of those rare moments that we will carry for the rest of our lives. Sure, the 4 Nations Face-Off is neither the Olympics nor the Canada Cup, but it was lifted by the political context of our time to feel nearly as important.  

As Canadian coach Jon Cooper said after, cradling a drink he would only describe as being made in Canada: “This wasn’t a win for themselves, this was a win for 40-plus-million people.” 
Canada beat the United States in a hockey game, but it’s more than that. It’s something to bring us all together in celebration, even if only for a few hours on a cold winter’s night. We know a 3-2 overtime win will not solve all our challenges, but it brought us all together, and that is something worth celebrating. It is worth remembering. 

And that is why we are so happy to provide you with this special celebratory collection of pictures and words and moments from the game.

It is still our game, a fact written across the faces of McDavid and Marner and all of the players who helped turn a mid-season all-star showcase into a rallying cry for the rest of us.  

This might not be 1972, when a group of Canadians cut short their summer vacation to play the Soviets, rallying from adversity to define a generation. This is not 1987 or 1991, our two most dramatic Canada Cup wins. This might not even be the 2010 Olympics, with Sidney Crosby and the golden goal.  

Nobody ever planned for a Thursday night in Boston to be that important. But the politics of the day created a crucible. And the Canadians won the day.  

Go Canada Go.  

Sincerely,

Adrienne Batra, Editor-in-Chief, on behalf of Postmedia

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