You’ve been on the other side from Brad Marchand a lot over the years. What was it like to have his energy on your bench? 

Cooper: He is everything I hoped for and probably a little bit more. The kid definitely has fire in the belly and a lot of passion for the game. Nobody works harder than him.

I didn’t know him when he was younger. I just coached against him. He has always played the game on the edge. He has been on both sides of it.

When you bring him to an event like this, he just bleeds the red and white. Whatever role you put him in, he will lay in traffic for you. That is the type of kid he is.

You kind of see it from afar, and then you don’t know what his personality is, but he is great. He is a voice, especially when you have a lot of the young guys and guys who haven’t been on the biggest stage before. He is a voice, and it is much needed.

Jon Cooper, Team Canada head coach at the 4 Nations Face-Off

Sidney Crosby arrived a little nicked up. He played in every practice and took the optional skate. He was the last one to leave the podium after the game, and he was the first one on the rink with Nathan MacKinnon the next morning. Can you discuss the commitment and passion there?

Cooper: Those two are hockey junkies. It is really cool to be a part of them. Everything is about the game. They talk about the game. They live the game. You don’t see that a ton, and when you rise to this level, you can have a tendency to take your foot off the gas or get used to the life. I have watched it countless times with players. Those two do not take it for granted.

You can see players watch them. They watch what they do. When you leave these events, you are going to take away the experience, the euphoria, and all of the things that happened, but you hope you take away the example of what the leaders and the guys who really have a passion for this (game) act and how they conduct themselves — when they show up to the rink, what they do at the rink, how long they are at the podium, when they stop and talk to fans on the street, and all of those things that promote the wellness of the game.

Those two guys have it.

What was it like to coach Connor McDavid for the first time on Team Canada?

Cooper: How do I say this?

You are watching hockey as fast and at as high of a pace as you could possibly see, and he still brought you out of his seat because of the plays he can make at such a high rate of speed. This is the fastest the league gets — it doesn’t get faster — and he is still a cut above in the speed department. To be able to process the game at that high rate of speed is a unique ability that he has.

On the bench, it is all about the team. He is attentive. He is into it. And he is a horse. You can just keep playing him.

You marvel, but now I have a legit front-row seat to it. It is pretty cool to see.

As coaches, have you started thinking of a forward who could fill in on defense if you had another injury back there?

Cooper: It is tough. There is some gray in what happens next. You have to think of all situations and everything that happens, but it would be tough for me. I can’t imagine that anyone who is in charge is going to let us play short. I don’t think that would be right for anybody.

It is unfortunate because injuries are a part of the game, especially at the intensity these games are played with and the will these guys are showing on both teams. You hope it doesn’t happen anymore, but there is a chance it will.

If we are allowed to dress 20, and 18 of them are forwards, we will just play it that way. But all of that will work out. It is above my pay grade, though.

In the last minute of the game against Sweden, you used all three Tampa forwards at the same time. Do you already have it pre-planned for special situations like that one, or 3-on-3, or a 6-on-5? How much are you just going off of feel?

Cooper: There is a lot of feel to it and a lot of familiarity as well. [Cirelli] and [Hagel] have been a pair for quite some time. They kill penalties together and whatnot. But Point has played with them a lot over the years.

Pointer can up the speed of a line. I thought he was playing well last night. There were a couple of shifts where it did happen. It was the circumstance that dictated it. Whether we go back to it or if we mix these lines up, we are still working on that stuff right now.

It is something I am not afraid to go back to.

MacKinnon said he was gassed after the overtime. You have never coached a three-on-three OT before. Looking back, how do you manage energy levels?

Cooper: It is hard because of the pace of play they’re playing at. Plus, these guys are in world-class shape. But part of what gasses you is the adrenaline of the game. The game had been played for two-and-a-half hours. They had been a big part of it. There is a lot of skating in the overtime.

That is why we have to have multiple guys going out there. You can’t just go with your four or six. You need a bunch of guys lined up.

Those guys were feeling it when they were out there. I would be remiss if I wasn’t going to put them back out there. And they weren’t saying no.

Cooper: You could’ve said that he had a front-row seat when he was with the Islanders as well and left out the finals part. But great, thanks.

He is paired with arguably the best defenseman in the game. When you are kind of riding shotgun, everyone is looking at the driver, and sometimes, you are not looking at the passenger. But Devon Toews is far from a passenger.

If a play is at risk, he allows Cale to be Cale. He will clean up if there is ever an issue with that. He is not going to get a lot of fanfare. He is not a guy who is out there and saying, “Look at me.” He just goes out there and does his job really, really well.

He can navigate his way around the ice. He makes good reads. He does all of these things you need in a defenseman. Often times, you will hear the saying, “Well, if I didn’t notice you, you probably had a hell of a game.” The reason you don’t notice him is that he just makes all of the right plays all the time.

He is a really, really steady, excellent defenseman, especially for a guy who isn’t the biggest one out there. You have to think a little bit more. He does that really well.

That is a great little tandem they have going there in Colorado.

How much can you share your plans for Travis Sanheim and who he is going to play with?

Cooper: He is checking in. Big body who can skate and play at this tempo. Where exactly he is going to fit is hard to divulge now. Plus, we have two more days to get our heads wrapped around that.

The unfortunate part is that he probably would’ve checked in at some point in this tournament but I hate the way he is checking in. I am sure he feels the same way. You never really want to come in for a guy who gets injured.

This is my first experience with him. He is one of the guys soaking it all in and taking in the environment. These experiences can do nothing but help his game.

I am excited for him to play and experience it, but more than that, I know he can play. He will be just fine.

Will Shea Theodore spend more time with the team, or is he leaving town?

Cooper: Ultimately, I guess that is going to be up to Shea.

First of all, it is all about what is best for him to make sure he is in the best spot so that he is ready to come back and play in the regular season. That will come first and foremost.

Knowing him and what has gone on, if he has any choice, he will be here with us.

The makeup of the blue line has changed a bit now. When you look at the speed of the game and what you can expect from the Americans on Saturday, is there a silver lining to bringing in someone like Sanheim to the defensive core?

Cooper: It was tough to lose Theo. He can break pucks out. He can play with pace. He is a gazelle out there with the ice he covers.

Sanny does many of the same things. The difference is that Travis kills penalties, whereas, for Theo, it is not as much his forte. He was more of a power-play guy for us. That is probably the main trade-off between the two.

They both can skate. They both have length. There are a lot of similarities to them other than the special teams. It is never a bad thing to have another penalty killer.