SOCHI, Russia — Mike Babcock was still buzzing the morning after.
First the head coach of Team Canada watched Jennifer Jones and her curling rink win a gold medal on Thursday afternoon. Then he went back to the athletes village and watched the women’s hockey team erase a 2-0 deficit with four minutes to play before Marie-Philip Poulin scored the Golden Goal in overtime later that night.
There was no escaping the fact that Babcock’s team will be looking to keep the gold rush going on the final weekend of the Sochi Olympics. It will need to beat the U.S. in Friday’s semifinal to even have a chance.
“What it does for everybody in life is real simple … you don’t give in,” Babcock said after the morning skate at Bolshoy Ice Dome. “You don’t give in. You just keep on keeping on. Is it going to go your way every time? No. But you choose your attitude and how you perform and how hard you dig in.
“There was great individual performance on the overtime. My God, the saves — scary stuff.”
As if anyone needed a further reminder of what was at stake, Hayley Wickenheiser and Shannon Szabados showed up at the rink Friday morning to wish the men well. Babcock gave both women a big hug and speculated that they hadn’t yet slept.
It added to the atmosphere before a rematch of the gold-medal final from Vancouver. While the Canadian team has sought to leave that game well in the rear-view mirror, the Americans have made no secret of the fact that they’d like to avenge the near-miss in 2010.
They have 13 returning players and have been the most cohesive unit of any in this tournament so far.
The future is now in this game. Carey Price will start in goal for Team Canada against Jonathan Quick — leaving Roberto Luongo and Ryan Miller, the goalies of record in Vancouver, to serve as backups. Both newcomers have had an excellent start to this tournament.
Team Canada’s management group attended the women’s gold-medal final in person on Thursday, as did a handful of players. Everyone else watched it together on television back in the village.
“It was a great game,” said forward Corey Perry. “It was back and forth and Canada fought hard for the win.”
Added Babcock: “That was unbelievable. What a finish. How exciting for these girls and the work they put in. Obviously heart-breaking for the opposition, but we got some bounces and they executed and make you proud.
“It was unreal.”
The comeback brought out so much emotion in Matt Duchene that he admitted to having trouble getting to sleep afterwards. He’ll draw into the fourth-line centre spot vacated by the injured John Tavares, who is expected to be in attendance on Friday.
Duchene has been to three IIHF World Hockey Championships and has never come home with a gold medal. He still has a chance to add an Olympic one to his collection before leaving Russia.
“It’s time to win,” he said.
Should they do that, it would set up a gold-medal game against either Sweden or Finland on Sunday. A loss would leave them fighting for bronze on Saturday.
Here is a look at the projected lines for Friday’s game vs. the Americans:
Forwards
Kunitz-Crosby-Bergeron
Marleau-Toews-Carter
Benn-Getzlaf-Perry
Sharp-Duchene-Nash
St. Louis
Defence
Keith-Weber
Vlasic-Doughty
Bouwmeester-Pietrangelo
Hamhuis
Goal
Price
Luongo
Scratched: Smith, Subban.