MacKinnon's heroics for Team Canada at Olympics send Cole Harbour into 'frenzy'

NHL players are competing at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, the first time in 12 years that they’ve been on this global stage. In order to provide an inside look at the experience, NHL.com has enlisted former Olympic players, coaches and others around the game to share their insights. Today, Paul Mason, who has coached minor hockey and minor baseball in Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia, for 47 years, including several NHL players, notably Team Canada’s Sidney Crosby.

COLE HARBOUR, Nova Scotia -- Just when you thought our community couldn’t feel better about ourselves, Friday happened.

Back in 2010, it was Cole Harbour native Sidney Crosby, one of our own, who scored the "Golden Goal" to give Team Canada a 3-2 overtime victory against Team USA in the championship game at the Vancouver Olympics.

It’s a moment we’ll all never forget.

Now, 16 years later, we’re heading back to the gold medal game, this time at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 on Sunday (8:10 a.m.; Peacock, NBC, ICI Tele, CBC Gem, CBC, SN [JIP], TSN [JIP], RDS2).

And it was another one of our local kids, Nathan MacKinnon, who proved to be the hero.

Yes, the same Nathan MacKinnon, a fellow Cole Harbour native, who grew up idolizing Sid and has become one of his best friends.

It was his dramatic goal with 36 seconds left that gave Team Canada a 3-2 victory against Team Finland in their Olympic semifinal Friday, giving them a chance to play for gold and sending this entire Halifax area, the province of Nova Scotia, I mean, the entire country of Canada into a euphoric frenzy.

Inside the arena at Cole Harbour Place, there are banners honoring both Sid and Nathan. We are so proud of these kids.

Of course, we’re all thinking of Sid right now. He obviously was ruled out of the Team Finland game with a lower-body injury after being hurt in Team Canada’s 4-3 overtime win against Team Czechia in their quarterfinal matchup on Wednesday. We’d hoped he’d play but I think we all knew in our heart of hearts that he wouldn’t.

Still, there’s room for optimism, since he hasn’t been ruled out of the gold medal game. Of course, we’re all hoping he can play. Knowing Sid like I do, he’s going to do everything in his power to do just that.

My typical Friday always includes a friendly game of pick-up hockey in the afternoon. It looks like real hockey, but it’s a lot slower. On this day I canceled so I could watch the Olympic game.

For a while, I was beginning to wish I would’ve went to hockey.

The crowd at the local watering hole was buzzing. We were sitting at a table where we had a great view of the giant screen. The place was packed and everyone was there for the game.

Shortly after we got to our spot, about 30 guys who had tables reserved showed up. They were from the shipyards. You could’ve watched with your eyes closed and listened to their reactions to know what had happened during the game.

The first part of the game Team Finland did a great job of clogging the neutral zone and slowing down the Canadian squad. When Finland opened the scoring and Canada seemed unable to create great chances, we all sat nervously.

And then, when Team Finland scored the short-handed goal early in the second period to go up 2-0, it was the only time you could hear the TV announcers in the bar. That’s how quiet it was in there.

Yet, you could see Team Canada keep coming and coming. Sure enough, Sam Reinhart cut the deficit to 2-1 later in the second.

A nervous energy filled the bar during the third period. Then, the mood changed quickly, and the bar erupted when Shea Theodore tied the game 2-2.

Nova Scotia’s own Brad Marchand played a significant role in the goal when he executed a typical Brad Marchand style of play, creating traffic in front of the net and getting knocked into the Team Finland goalie, Juuse Saros, by a Finnish defender.

Saros was upset, but the goal stood. Tie game.

When Team Finland took a high-sticking penalty against Nathan late in the game, you knew something big was probably about to happen.

It sure did, courtesy of Nathan.

In their postgame comments it was so nice to hear players and coaches saying they were doing it for Sid. Even in his absence, he motivates those around him to be better.

Now comes Sunday. One game for gold.

Can’t wait.