Golden goals: Canadian hockey players have a history of coming through in the clutch

Canada's Connor McDavid (97) celebrates after his winning goal against the United States during an overtime period of the 4 Nations Face-Off championship hockey game, Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025, in Boston. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Charles Krupa

Connor McDavid continued Canada’s tradition of scoring clutch goals in best-on-best senior tournaments with his overtime winner in a 3-2 win over the United States in the final of the 4 Nations Face-Off.

Here is a look at some of the golden goals from Canada’s men’s and women’s hockey stars in big international tournaments:

Paul Henderson — 1972 Summit Series

Henderson’s late third-period goal on Vladislav Tretiak in Game 8 of the 1972 Summit Series in Moscow secured a 6-5 win over the Soviet Union, clinching the series in what has become a nation-defining moment for Canada.

Darryl Sittler — 1976 Canada Cup

Sittler’s late goal on goaltender Vladimír Dzurilla in the 1976 Canada Cup final gave Canada a 5-4 win over Czechoslovakia, clinching the title. Sittler collected the puck at centre ice and beat a Czech defender before beating a sprawling Dzurilla to the delight of the Montreal Forum crowd.

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Mike Bossy — 1984 Canada Cup

Bossy tipped home the overtime game-winner in the semifinal at Calgary’s Saddledome after Paul Coffey broke up a 2-on-1, securing Canada’s 4-3 win over the Soviet Union. Canada went on to sweep Sweden in the best-of-three final.

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Mario Lemieux — 1987 Canada Cup

Lemieux scored the winner with 1:26 remaining in regulation of Game 3 of the 1987 Canada Cup final after Wayne Gretzky set him up, securing Canada’s 6-5 victory over the Soviet Union at Hamilton’s Copps Coliseum. Lemieux also scored in double-overtime of Game 2, completing a hat trick, with Gretzky and Larry Murphy drawing assists.

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Sidney Crosby — 2010 Vancouver Olympics

Crosby scored the golden goal in overtime, converting a feed from Jarome Iginla and beating in-form American goaltender Ryan Miller to secure Canada’s 3-2 win over the United States. The Americans had tied the game on Zach Parise’s goal with 25 seconds left in regulation.

Marie-Philip Poulin — 2014 Sochi Olympics

Poulin led the charge in Canada’s 3-2 overtime win over the United States in the 2014 women’s Olympic final. Down 2-0 with less than four minutes remaining, Poulin scored the tying goal in the final minute after American Kelli Stack hit the post with Canada’s goaltender pulled. Poulin completed the comeback in overtime with a shot past U.S. goaltender Jessie Vetter.

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Marie-Philip Poulin — 2021 women’s world championship

Poulin scored in overtime in the gold-medal game in Calgary as Canada came back from a 2-0 deficit to beat the U.S. 3-2 and end the Americans' run of five straight women’s world championship titles. Poulin’s shot over Nicole Hensley bounced out of the net so quickly that play resumed before the scorekeeper signalled a goal.

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Danielle Serdachny — 2024 women’s world championship

Serdachny scored on a power play in overtime as Canada defeated the U.S. 6-5 in a back-and-forth tournament final in Utica, N.Y. Canada’s victory on American soil was its third world title in four championships and came a year after the Americans beat Canada 6-3 in the final in Brampton, Ont.

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Connor McDavid — 2025 4 Nations Face-Off

After his team survived some nervous minutes in the extra period, McDavid scored the overtime goal as Canada edged the United States 3-2 in the 4 Nations Face-Off final in Boston.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 21, 2025.