Veteran Olympian O'Dell's thunderous hit sets tone for Canadian men's hockey team in opening win over Germany
Ottawa native's thunderous hit in 5-1 victory over Germany kicks off tournament
Eric O'Dell is not a big name on the Canadian men's Olympic hockey team. The Ottawa product plays on the third line — the energy line — and is expected to forecheck hard, cycle the puck and maximize his minutes.
The 31-year-old centre did just that Thursday, flattening defenceman Marco Nowak just four minutes into Canada's opening match against Germany.
The thunderous bodycheck sent Nowak crashing to the ice. With Team Germany seemingly in shock — and Nowak still in a heap behind the net — defenceman Alex Grant ripped a wrist shot top shelf to give Canada a 1-0 lead.
"He came around the net with his head down and I finished my check," O'Dell said, mildly understating the impact of the bone-rattling collision with Nowak. "The team built off that and we got a couple of goals after that.
"So it was good."
WATCH | O'Dell sets the tone for Canada early:
Good? Try great as Canada went on to beat Germany 5-1 in a convincing victory that O'Dell hopes sets the tone for the entire tournament.
The 2022 non-NHL version of Team Canada includes names that hockey fans will need to look up on the internet, but it's deep, it's physical, and it's in Beijing to win.
Making the opening-night victory even sweeter is the fact Canada lost to Germany in the semifinals at the 2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
On Thursday, Canada stormed out to a 3-0 lead in the first period and never looked back.
WATCH | Watch Canada's tournament-opening victory over Germany:
"It was everything you hope for happens," Grant said in describing the night. "It's kind of what you dream of."
Coach Claude Julien to give Canada boost in Beijing
The day started like a dream for Team Canada when Claude Julien touched down in China. Just prior to the opening faceoff, Hockey Canada announced the 2009 Jack Adams Trophy winner would be back behind the bench for Friday's clash with the United States.
UPDATE | Claude Julien will reassume head coaching duties for 🇨🇦’s Men’s Olympic Team following today’s game against Germany. <br><br>Jeremy Colliton will resume his role as an assistant coach.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TeamCanada?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TeamCanada</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Beijing2022?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Beijing2022</a> <a href="https://t.co/pzhOg1xBvE">pic.twitter.com/pzhOg1xBvE</a>
—@HockeyCanadaIn a bizarre turn of events, Julien, 61, suffered a rib fracture when he slipped and fell on ice late last month during a team-building exercise in Switzerland. Initially, the doctors advised it unsafe for Julien to fly to Beijing, so Jeremy Colliton assumed the role as head coach.
It's no slight on Colliton, who will stay on as an assistant coach, to say Canada is a better team with Julien at the helm.
"He is such an accomplished coach," Grant said. "It will be a big boost."
WATCH | Julien set to return to Canadian bench:
Canada displaying depth
Depth will be vital for Canada in later games against teams like the United States, Sweden, Finland and the Russian Olympic Committee. And while all eyes were on Canada's first line of Mason McTavish, Eric Staal and Josh Ho-Sang, the unsung trio of Ben Street, O'Dell and Kent Johnson combined for six points against Germany.
WATCH | Captain recaps Canada's win:
Johnson, 19, arrived in China as an alternate, joining the team off the reserve list in place of Daniel Carr. A fifth-overall pick of the Columbus Blue Jackets, Johnson buzzed around the puck the whole game against Germany, registering two assists in his Olympic debut.
Another positive: special teams, an area that may decide Canada's fate especially in a short tournament like the Olympics. On Thursday, the Canadians killed off all four German power-plays and went 1-for-2 with the man advantage.
Maxim Noreau restores Team Canada's lead to three... and captain Eric Staal was LOVING IT 🚨🙌 <a href="https://t.co/JUfLM3f1SS">pic.twitter.com/JUfLM3f1SS</a>
—@CBCOlympicsIt may be tempting for Canadian hockey fans to dream about future Olympics with Power and Cale Makar, of the Colorado Avalanche, on the top pairing. But Power already looks right at home on the Olympic stage alongside dependable veteran Mat Robinson.
At the end of the day, it's important to not read too much into a preliminary-round victory over Germany. But O'Dell and his fellow Canadians certainly served notice Thursday of their intention to upgrade bronze from Pyeongchang to gold in Beijing.
Stay tuned.
