Of Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin-related note this morning:
- The New York Post’s Ethan Sears wrote a story about the Red Wings’ captain, Dylan Larkin, after Larkin’s 1-goal, 1-assist performance helped lead Team USA to a 3-1 victory over Canada on Saturday night:
Until this tournament, the biggest games he’s played since were late last season, when the Red Wings were fighting for a playoff berth, ultimately falling short on the final day of the season.
So it’s no surprise that Larkin was beaming after this one, calling it “one of the best experiences of my life,” and repeating how much it meant to him.
It wasn’t just the biggest game of his career, as it was for just about everybody on both rosters. It was the biggest game of his career — by a long shot.
“Just a great moment for USA Hockey and tonight, I was thinking about kids watching that game,” he said. “What kind of message the work ethic, the compete, guys blocking shots. I hope kids are watching that like I was as a kid, wanting so badly to put that jersey on in the next generation.”
2. And The Athletic’s Michael Russo wrote an in-depth story about Larkin and Team USA’s top players as well:
“He’s a special player,” former Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde said via text on Saturday night. “He doesn’t get enough credit for the player he is. He’s a true star. A huge competitor.”
Monday’s game against Sweden is essentially meaningless for the U.S. but means everything for Canada. If the United States beats Sweden and Canada beats Finland, Canada will get the rematch it so wants against the United States in Thursday’s final. But Matthew Tkachuk sat out the last 12 1/2 minutes of Saturday’s game with a lower-body injury, so perhaps the Americans hold him out to allow time to heal for Thursday’s championship game.
Saturday’s win will mean nothing if they don’t win Thursday. Remember, in 2010, nobody remembers the Americans’ win against Canada in the prelims. They just remember Crosby’s golden goal in overtime in the gold-medal game.
So Larkin and the Americans know they have to finish this thing off.
“Tonight, I was thinking about kids watching that game, and what kind of message that was, like the work ethic, the compete, you know, guys blocking shots,” Larkin said. “I hope kids are watching that like I was as a kid and wanting so badly to put that jersey on in the next generation.
“I knew this one would be special, and then to score the game winner and see the way we played and just the game itself, it was just a great, great atmosphere, great hockey game. But we’re still building. That was the message after. The Sweden game’s an important game. Like every team here, they’re dangerous. And we need to just continue to build and build for the championship.”
3. The Hockey News’s Sam Stockton wrote an article about Larkin’s performance and the Four Nations Tournament as a whole, too…
Jake Guentzel tied the game some five minutes after McDavid’s opener, before Larkin put Team USA out front in the second. From that point on, the Americans refused their hosts any semblance of quality offense, playing a hard and clean defensive game to see out the emphatic victory.
“That was one of the best experiences of my life,” Larkin told reporters. “Just an unbelievable hockey game. I hope you guys feel the same way. The start, the guys, the Tkachuk brothers and ‘Millsy,’ what a start, and credit to those guys for answering the bell. You know, the crowd, just a great night for our sport and a great night for this rivalry. Can’t wait to get back to Boston and get on home soil.”
The work for Team USA won’t be done until they capture a trophy, but with two wins in Montreal under their belts, the Americans are heading back home having made a blaring statement.
