In sports, playing for national pride comes over everything else. Ask Sam Bennett, who displayed some strong patriotism during the recently concluded 4 Nations Face-Off. Coach Jon Cooper called on the Panthers star and he didn’t let his country down as Bennett scored a game-tying goal during the final clash between Canada and Team USA. It was a pivotal moment in the game that helped Canada edge past their rivals in a thriller of a contest. Days after that sensational victory, Cooper revealed some inside details of Bennett’s participation.
Because of his poor form in the lead-up, Jon Cooper was unsure if Bennett would participate in any of the team’s games. Nonetheless, Bennett decided to stick with his national team and made it count in the moment that mattered. Asked about his conversation with Bennett ahead of the tournament, coach Jon Cooper said, “I said we didn’t call you here to ruin your vacation, and you’d be on a beach. You’re a big part of this and you are gonna have a role in this tournament. I just don’t know when.”
Cooper had added the caveat: “But it’s not going to be tonight. And he basically looked at me and said, ‘Coach, stop.’ He goes, ‘If you called me, and said from the outset I wasn’t going to play one game for this team, I would still have come.’ And it was stuff like that I’m like wow. I can see why Florida’s had some success with that guy.”
If Sam Bennett was told he’d be healthied every game at #4Nations, he’d still show up to be part of the team over having a vacation #HockeyGuy https://t.co/TXeGcCyjTO pic.twitter.com/n6NuiOYy0X
— Spittin’ Chiclets (@spittinchiclets) March 3, 2025
And it’s clear that both the coach’s and player’s faith in the other paid off big time. Meanwhile, it has been a quick turn-around for Bennett ever since he starred for Canada in the final. The 28-year-old scored and has racked up 4 points since returning and even scored a Gordie Howe hat trick in their win against the Nashville Predators. Furthermore, the Panthers star made a very complimentary comparison of the 4 Nations Final.
Sam Bennett channels the excitement of the Canada vs United States clash
During this year’s Four Nations Four Nations Face-Off, Canada met the United States on two occasions. While the latter won the round-robin encounter, Canada emerged triumphant in overtime against America to win the tournament.
Although the first game was a one-sided affair, the final lived up to its thrill as Canada nearly edged their rivals out. As a result, Bennett compared this clash to that of the Stanley Cup Final.
Talking about this, he said, “It’s definitely really close. The excitement, the anticipation, how badly we want it, it’s right up there with the Stanley Cup Final. This is important to a lot of people in the country, and I know it’s really important to every single guy in our locker room, so we’re going to be giving it our all on Thursday.”
And who better to make this comparison than Sam Bennett, whose 2024 Cup win with the Panthers must still remain fresh in his memory. With his 4 Nations’ success behind him now, Bennett will shift his focus back to the Panthers’ NHL campaign. The team currently sits in the second spot in the Atlantic Division and is well-positioned to make it to the Stanley Cup playoffs, and even win it all again. Will Bennett be a part of the first back-to-back cup win since the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2017? We’ll just have to wait and see.
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