Jon Cooper Reveals Why He Reunited Marner and McDavid Prior to 4 Nations OT Winner
Photo credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images
Team Canada head coach Jon Cooper looks like a genius after reuniting Connor McDavid and Mitch Marner in 4 Nations Face-Off finale, revealing why he made that call following the win over Team USA.
The 4 Nations Face-Off is now officially in the books, as Canada rose to the occasion, securing a 3-2 overtime victory thanks in large to a brilliant play by Mitch Marner, who found a wide-open Connor McDavid with time and space, with the Oilers captain ripping home the game-winning goal in extra time.
For Mitch Marner, the tournament was filled with individual ups and downs, starting off on a positive note by scoring the OT winner in the opening game against Sweden. However, in the two subsequent games, Marner saw himself first demoted to the 2nd line, and then again to 3rd line duty against the U.S. and Finland.
Thankfully, Jon Cooper saw fit to re-unite Marner and McDavid on what could have been perceived as Canada's top line, this time with veteran Mark Stone. The move would pay dividends in a big way, with Marner setting McDavid up to end the game and secure the victory for Canada.
Following the win in Boston, Cooper revealed why he opted to form the Stone-McDavid-Marner line, giving Marner some well-deserved praise in the process.
"When you come to these short tournaments, you are trying to put players in positions to succeed.
The first move - Brayden Point has been a center all of his life, and I thought putting Point with McDavid was going to help the speed factor. It was just about if Point was going to be comfortable playing the wing, and he sure was. He proved that.
With Stone there, I thought the line had great chemistry, but ultimately, in the end, as the game went on, Mitch had legs. That kid can make plays. As we saw tonight, he just needed one chance to make a play, and he did.
It comes down to a gut feeling on how the guys are going. I felt those three guys could do it, and they did."
The first move - Brayden Point has been a center all of his life, and I thought putting Point with McDavid was going to help the speed factor. It was just about if Point was going to be comfortable playing the wing, and he sure was. He proved that.
With Stone there, I thought the line had great chemistry, but ultimately, in the end, as the game went on, Mitch had legs. That kid can make plays. As we saw tonight, he just needed one chance to make a play, and he did.
It comes down to a gut feeling on how the guys are going. I felt those three guys could do it, and they did."
Marner was quick to redirect the praise to his Canadian teammates Jordan Binnington, Connor McDavid and Cale Makar, who were all key factors in the win, even though the game-winning play was made off of Marner's stick. Clearly, the whole tournament was a humbling experience for Marner.
Now, the Leafs winger is en route back to Toronto with some shiny, new hardware to show for his efforts and a sweet little bonus for his bank account. The Leafs are back in action tomorrow night as they host the Carolina Hurricanes.
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