Representing Canada is such a special feeling.
You grow up dreaming for that opportunity. I’ve had that chance with the world juniors, the under-18s, the world championships.
But the Olympics ... that is the ultimate of representing your country, especially if you are playing the sport of hockey, which is the passion of Canada. And, this time, the Games will be held in Canada.
I would say all those things make it pretty exciting.
There is no doubt there are high expectations on Canada. But that’s nothing new. It’s always been like that.
In the Olympics, when you are talking about one game, it’s desperation. It’s execution. Your basically are playing Game Sevens continuously.
There’s always pressure to represent Canada but I don’t think Canadian players would have it any other way.
Canadian players care about hockey. They care about Canada as a whole. You try to enjoy it and try to realize that. You try to play your same game. You try to execute. Be desperate. All things that, when you grow up, are so valuable to winning. I think as Canadians, we always grow up with those strong ideas.
Why shouldn’t fans in Canada have high expections? As players, we should not expect anything less either.
Canada has never taken a back seat to anyone. Nor do we expect to. I think it has always been like that since I first woke up to watch the world juniors.
Everyone realizes the expectations. But a lot of guys can’t really prepare for this. How do you? Maybe they’ve played at the world juniors. Maybe they’ve played in other Olympics. But not an Olympics here.
I remember being at home in Cole Harbour, N.S., when Canada won the gold in 2002. Everybody was out on the streets, carrying flags. It was fun. It was amazing. I would so love to be part of that in any way, shape or form.
Not being picked in 2006 did not devastate me. Going into my rookie season, I didn’t even expect to be mentioned. When the possibility did arise, I got a little excited. But I wasn’t devastated when I wasn’t included. I accepted it and became a fan like everyone else.
I felt bad for the guys in Turin. The expectations were so high on them.
The Olympics are a whole different stage. It’s about more than just hockey. It’s about athletes training their whole lives for this.
For me, it’s such an honour to be part of it.
