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The goalie who is not the greatest netminder on Earth this season, but was the superior goaltender on this memorable night inside a rollicking TD Garden, in front of a maddened home-side crowd that had the oomph knocked out of it聽鈥� gut-punched 3-2 at 8:18 of overtime on a game- and championship-winning goal, so fittingly, by Connor McDavid. From Mitch Marner, who placed the puck right past Auston Matthews.

鈥淕reat vision by Cale (Makar), seeing me all the way down in the far corner,鈥欌�� recounted Marner in a champagne-drenched dressing room, but with a can of beer at his elbow. 鈥淭ried to get it up the ice quickly and find Connor. And he did the rest.鈥欌��

Wasn鈥檛 crowing over taking the mickey out of Matthews, who had the game on his stick at least three times in sudden death but was stoned by Jordan Binnington.

鈥淢an, he played a great game tonight,鈥欌�� said Marner of his Maple Leafs teammate聽鈥� four assists from Leafs in the game, a deuce apiece. 鈥淚 mean, what a warrior he was again tonight and in this whole tournament. Yeah, I thought he was going to score on me when I was on the ice there, to be honest, but Binnington made a hell of a save. And then luckily enough I found Connor and he put it home.鈥欌��

Lots of kudos as well for Binnington, who in most timely fashion rediscovered the form of rookie Binnington, who won a Stanley Cup in this barn with the St. Louis Blues in 2019. He was thought by many to be the weak link on Team Canada, compared to the double-Vezina bona fides of Team USA鈥檚 Connor Hellebuyck.

鈥淕otta give big credit to Binnington,鈥欌�� continued Marner. 鈥淎 couple of massive saves in overtime that definitely could have ended the game.鈥�

A moment of legend and legacy for McDavid, player of the game.

鈥淗e couldn鈥檛 be more deserving of that moment,鈥欌�� said Sidney Crosby, the greatest Team Canada player ever, and maybe now the torch is being passed.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 think of it that way. I鈥檓 just really happy he scored. I don鈥檛 look at it as the torch being passed. I鈥檓 happy and grateful to be part of this group. I鈥檓 grateful and proud that he was able to get a big moment like that, and just really happy that we won.鈥欌��

Nate MacKinnon, with four goals across five games, was named tournament MVP.

鈥淭hat says a lot,鈥欌�� noted聽Crosby. 鈥淗e鈥檚 really clutch. In the big moments, he鈥檚 done it time and time again. He stepped up, similar to Connor. I鈥檓 happy to see him get rewarded.鈥欌��

MacKinnon, speaking for himself, for his team, for the crushed opponents: 鈥淚n overtime, they kind of took over, honestly. And Binnington was unbelievable, the saves he was making. We just needed one look and Connor was very open, so that was nice. Usually when he鈥檚 that open, it鈥檚 in the net.

鈥淲e鈥檙e neck and neck, U.S.A. and Canada. But it feels good to be on top this time.鈥欌��

Who needs supernatural phenomena with Crosby bringing turn-back-time splendour to the affair and McDavid wind-burning the opposition with his speed; with Makar and Devon Toews a blue line bulwark, offensive power four lines deep and jaw-dropping OT saves by Binnington.

The United States has been cleaving to its 1980 Miracle on Ice for nearly half a century聽鈥� that underdog squad of mostly American college players who pulled off a stunning upset at the Lake Placid Olympics, defeating the mighty Soviet Union en route to gold.

It has become an origin story for generations of American players and favourite movie of Team USA head coach Mike Sullivan聽鈥斅燼nd of course played on the giant score-clock screen pre-game.

But for all that their hockey substance has grown near level with Canada, their superstars on an equal plane of grandeur, their juniors far better than ours, in this epic encounter the Americans were losers.

And it really did mean as much to them as it did to us. To a man they believed they鈥檇 caught their rivals from north of the 49th parallel, would rip off their historical superiority, seize the day and the glory.

Team Canada, however, didn鈥檛 for a second stop believing in their prowess, their hockey primacy, their destiny. In this pinnacle game, again cresting the summit and planting a Maple Leaf.

Oh sure, the boisterously partisan crowd (although with a heavy representation of Canada red in the stands) booed 鈥淥 Canada.鈥� Booed Wayne Gretzky. Booed the flag. So 15 minutes ago聽鈥� or five days ago, when Team USA got roasted back at the Bell Centre in Montreal, more in defence of country than partisan sports. Let 鈥榚m fill their boots. Tit for tat and all that after Canadian fans had already got their licks in.

I hate you, you hate me, but not really.

The players didn鈥檛 give a toss.

Some of that buzz got dialed down early when MacKinnon struck on a 48-foot knuckler with traffic in front of the net. Hellebuyck didn鈥檛 see the puck in time to get his blocker on it.

A blocker save from Binnington at the other end on a breakaway by Dylan Larkin (his dad鈥檚 from Scarborough) kept the U.S. at bay, although tempers were close to the surface in frequent goalmouth scrums and bone-crunchers along the boards. The Lesser Tkachuk, Brady, tied it 1-1 with 3:08 left in the opening period. Captain Matthews, in his second shift with the Tkachuk brothers, did all the work: controlling the puck behind the net, then zipping out front聽鈥� as we鈥檝e seen so often in his labours as a Leaf聽鈥� and dishing to Tkachuk.

Plenty more shoving and facewashing and hot potato-pucking, nerves on edge, both teams primed to blow their lids. Then, amidst another slot scramble, a Matthews backhand found Jake Sanderson 鈥� only in the lineup because of the injury to Charlie McAvoy 鈥斅爓ho beat Binnington: Americans up 2-1.

Team Canada got the first power play of the game after Vincent Trocheck hauled down Sam Bennett, but the best scoring chance was a two-on-one the other way, stymied by Binnington. At even strength (maybe future Leaf?) Bennett got that one back on a creative surge and pivot setup by聽 Marner.

鈥淢itch had legs tonight,鈥欌�� said Team Canada head coach Jon Cooper. 鈥淭hat kid can make plays. And as we saw tonight, he needed just one chance to make a play and he did.鈥欌��

The hero could have been Matthews instead. Lord knows he had enough chances to nail Canada to the mast.

鈥淚鈥檓 super-proud of this group,鈥欌�� the Leafs captain said. 鈥淚 thought we battled our hearts out the whole tournament. Tonight we had the opportunities to win. It didn鈥檛 happen. I think it鈥檚 a pretty even playing field. In my opinion it could have gone either way.鈥欌��

What a wang-dang-doodle day it was, though.

Began with President Donald Trump on the blower 鈥� on speaker, on U.S. general manager Bill Guerin鈥檚 cellphone聽鈥� pumped into the American dressing room. You鈥檇 think the most powerful dude in the world would have more pressing matters on his small brain than a hockey game. Like maybe bro-hugging a dictator or sabotaging Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in social media posts filled with falsehoods and naked betrayal.

Or maybe there was simply nothing more urgent, riper with significance, than a wee hockey final between Canada and the United States. Keeping in mind that at puck drop,聽 Canada’s best-on-best record against the U.S. in men’s hockey was 14-4-1 dating back to the 1976 Canada Cup, and America鈥檚 most recent showing in a best-on-best tournament was 0-3 in the 2016 World Cup.

Into this maelstrom of 4 Nations heat as proxy for cross-border hostilities and threats of annexing Canada dropped Trump: first with an early a.m. poke on Truth Social, repeating his suggestion that Canada should become the 51st state: 鈥淚鈥檒l be calling our great American Hockey Team this morning to spur them on towards victory tonight against Canada. We will be watching, and if Governor Trudeau would like to join us, he would be most welcome.鈥欌��

Had us rolling in the aisles, the card. Though I鈥檓 thinking Trump cares as much about hockey as he does military service.

Some U.S. players received the five-minute call聽鈥� in which Trump talked more about golf聽鈥� more reverently than others.

鈥淗opefully we can get the win tonight for our country and for Trump,鈥欌�� said D-man Noah Hanifin.

鈥楩raid not.