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Crosby scored the golden goal at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, in an overtime thriller against the Americans. It’s聽right up there with Paul Henderson’s winner in the 1972 Summit Series, Darryl Sittler’s overtime marker in the 1976 Canada Cup and Wayne Gretzky’s pass to Mario Lemieux in the 1987 Canada Cup.

Now McDavid has his moment: the McGolden goal, fitting not just because of the last name of the player who scored it, but also the snack-sized, seven-game, four-nation event in which it happened.

Given the intensity, the emotions, the political backdrop and the swagger of the American team, it was the biggest goal of McDavid’s career, confirming in the eyes of Canadians that hockey is still our game.

It all happened just before midnight on Feb. 20 at Boston’s TD Garden over the span of eight seconds, from 8:10 to 8:18 of overtime.

Scene setter: Icing

The game was 2-2 and well into overtime, which was played five-on-five just like in the Stanley Cup playoffs. It had that feel, too: physical, tight checking. No one wanted to make a mistake.

The Americans were called for icing. Both countries had their top lines out: McDavid between Mitch Marner and Brayden Point for the Canadians. Auston Matthews between Jack Hughes and Brock Nelson. But the Americans, because Nelson iced the puck, had to keep their defence pairing on: Adam Fox and Noah Hanifin.

It was easily their worst duo. Fox, a former Norris Trophy winner, had struggled all season with the New York Rangers and carried those struggles into the tournament. Both were minus players on a team that had done a lot of scoring. Coach Mike Sullivan played them the least: Hanifin averaging just 17:14, Fox down to 16:51. But they were caught on the icing, and Canadian coach Jon Cooper put his two best defencemen out: Cale Makar and Devon Toews.

8:10 鈥� The faceoff

McDavid faced off against Matthews: The top pick of the 2015 draft against No. 1 in 2016. Matthews had been the best American forward on the night, assisting on both goals and just failing to get one past Jordan Binnington on three superb chances in overtime.

鈥淚f Matthews scores on one of those shots, we’re talking about the greatest American player having the greatest international moment for the United States (since the 1980 Miracle on Ice),鈥� said TSN analyst Frankie Corrado, the former Leafs defenceman.

McDavid had two goals in the tournament to that point, and Cooper struggled to find him the right linemates. At first it was Marner and Sam Reinhart. Mark Stone and Point got an audition. Finally, he settled on Point and Marner.

McDavid won 63.5 per cent of his draws in the tournament, Matthews 61.1 per cent.

The Canadians ran a faceoff play called an under-over. One winger (Point) went under the circle after the draw, the other (Marner) went over.

8:11 鈥� The first shot

The draw was to the right of Connor Hellebuyck.McDavid won it and got a shot off, which Hanifin deflected wide. It bounced off the boards to Makar.

That’s when the American system broke down.

They had been the best in the tournament at blocking shots and protecting the goalie by basically swarming the slot. Not this time.

Matthews did what he was supposed to, staying close to McDavid. Hughes skated toward Toews. Nelson chased down Makar. Hanifin lined up for a block. Fox chased Point, who was heading to Hellebuyck’s left side.

Ultimately both American defencemen were to Hellebuyck’s left. Marner drifted alone into the corner, to Hellebuyck’s right.

8:13 鈥� Around the boards

Makar played it somewhat safe at the blue line: a cycle around the boards to an all-alone Marner.

鈥淚 saw Marns far corner when it came up to me, so I just tried to rim it to him,鈥� said Makar.

Watching from the bench, Brad Marchand saw his teammate Makar make a simple and smart play.

鈥淲e talked about using the back of the net, and especially in overtime,鈥� Marchand said. 鈥淭he biggest thing is, you don’t ever want to make high plays. You try to keep it low.鈥�

Nelson and Hanifin were helpless聽when Makar fired the puck around. Fox was tied up with Point, still on the wrong side of the goalie, but started to pursue the puck as it whistled past him to an open Marner.

Matthews was the only player between Marner and McDavid.

8:15 鈥� The playmaker

Marner is a right-handed shot, playing what for him was the left side. He squeezed himself up against the boards as Makar’s pass came to his left skate at 8:15. He kicked it to his stick blade at 8:16.

Matthews made the split-second decision to leave McDavid and go after Marner. No one knows better than Matthews what Marner is capable of, and the Leafs captain wanted to cut off the pass. He was perhaps expecting one of his teammates to pick up McDavid. Fox also pursued Marner, but far too late.

鈥淚 just tried to get it on and off the wall as quick as I could,鈥� said Marner. 鈥淚 knew Connor was in that slot area, just trying to find a quiet spot on the ice. I was hoping he’d do that. And once he did, just tried to get it on and off my stick and find him in the slot, and let him do the rest.鈥�

8:16 鈥� The fatal error

The Leafs captain took a fair bit of heat for leaving McDavid to pursue Marner. At that point, the American defence had totally broken down. It was a split-second decision.

鈥淚 would have let Marner come out a lot further before I attempted to go at him,鈥� said Bruce Boudreau, the former Leaf and long-time NHL coach. 鈥淏ut it’s a difficult thing, because on the other hand, coaches tell players: We pressure everything, don’t give them time and space. So he might have thought that he was getting back up in the slot when he went at Marner. But nobody was helping.鈥�

With Matthews coming straight at him, Marner took a step toward the blue line. So did the lefty-shooting McDavid. That set up a passing lane that was out of Matthews’s reach.

鈥淚t was kind of a bit of a tough spot for their defenceman and their centreman in that spot to decide who was going to challenge (me),鈥� said Marner. 鈥淚 did a little jab-step up the ice and found the quiet ice for Connor.鈥�

Hughes, meanwhile, was a nonfactor, still too close to Toews and the blue line. He flailed at the pass. Matthews came closer to deflecting it.

鈥淢atthews is trying to make up for two mistakes that happened prior,鈥� said Corrado. 鈥淚f Matthews gets a stick on that puck, we’re talking that it’s a great read by Matthews.鈥�

It’s a moment Matthews will have to live with.

鈥淭hat’s part of life,鈥� said Matthews. 鈥淚t’s not always gonna work out in your favour. For me, it sucks, but there’s nothing that I can do to fix that now. It’s about trying to just get better.鈥�

8:18聽鈥� The McGolden goal

Thanks to Marner’s pass, the best player in the game had what seemed like an eternity to shoot.

鈥淢itchy makes a great play,鈥� said McDavid. 鈥淚 mean, it鈥檚 so subtle. Your average hockey fan is not going to appreciate how impressive that is to pick the puck up off the wall like that, so calmly, and make a great play. Have his head up, draw two guys to him and dish in the middle.鈥�

Matthews, Hughes and Fox were closer to Marner by the time the pass arrived. No one had backed up Matthews: Hanifin stuck with Point, Nelson was beside Makar.

鈥淗e was wide open,鈥� said Boudreau, shocked while watching from home. 鈥淭he next thing you know, he scores. The unwritten rule, you hear it every day, is: protect the middle of the ice. And that’s the one thing the Americans didn’t do. They had one winger too far on the right, one too far on the left and two guys chasing the puck carrier. That left the middle wide open, and an easy play for guys as talented as Marner and McDavid.鈥�

A wrist shot, from 21 feet, over Hellebuyck’s glove won the final for Canada at 8:18.

Past, present, future

Crosby had his golden goal and McDavid had his, but neither believed a torch was passed.

鈥淚 don’t think of it that way,鈥� Crosby told reporters that night in Boston. 鈥淚’m just really happy he scored. He couldn鈥檛 be more deserving of an opportunity in that moment.鈥�

鈥淲ell, I think you鈥檙e gonna see Sid in 12 months,鈥� McDavid said roughly one year out from the Winter Olympics in Italy. 鈥淪o, I don鈥檛 see a passing of any torch.鈥�