"True inspiration": Sidney Crosby receives major compliments from Team Canada HC Jon Cooper after win over Finland

Sidney Crosby buried the decisive goal late in the third period during the penultimate match of the 4 Nations Face-Off on Monday. With Finland mounting a furious rally and trimming the lead to just one, Crosby iced it with a goal with less than a minute remaining.

The regulation win sealed Canada's place in the 4 Nations final on Thursday. After Crosby did his part, Jon Cooper was full of praise.

The Tampa Bay Lightning and Team Canada coach said after the game.

“You see somebody from afar, and then you don't want to be disappointed when you meet them in person," Cooper said to reporters. "It's like, you know you meet your you want to meet your hero, and you want them to be your hero and to be honestly, like a lot of times it doesn't happen. And how many times have you said, Oh, man, I wish you look at them in a certain light."

He added that Crosby has more than met his expectations.

"Well, the light that you look at Sidney Crosby is still the same light when you meet him," Cooper said. "And he's been a true inspiration to all the young guys in our locker room and even older guys he is. In our country, he walks on water, and he is as humble as they come. And you can see why he arguably is one of the most respected people in this game."

Crosby is one of the best Canadian hockey players of all time and Cooper hailed his humility and his leadership for the next generation.

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Sidney Crosby hails teammates for hot start vs. Finland

Long before Sidney Crosby put the Finnish team on ice, Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon helped set the tone early. They each scored just one minute apart to give Canada a commanding lead it never relinquished.

Sidney Crosby praised his teammates (Imagn)

"That's huge," Crosby said after the game, via NHL.com. "I mean, they set the tone right away (today). That's what you need. Big plays from big time players. They stepped up to get us the lead, get us a start like that, get our feet under us."

If not for the earlier goals, Crosby's goal might not have mattered and Canada could have gone home instead of returning to Boston for a rematch with Team USA.