Upon his return from Vancouver, The Captain took a few minutes to share his thoughts on the Olympic hockey tournament and the men’s and women’s gold medal games.
(1.) Welcome back from Vancouver. Can you share with us some thoughts on your Olympic experience?
The Olympic games in Vancouver made me proud to be a Canadian. Not only because of the strong showing by our Canadian athletes, but also the way the Country galvanized around the idealism of what it means to be a Canadian. We welcomed the world, shared with them our Canadian pride, and took the opportunity to teach our children about what it means to be a Canadian.
(2.) What does the gold medal really mean for Canada, and for the sport of hockey?
Hosting the games put tremendous pressure on our athletes to perform against the best in the world, and no group of athletes felt the pressure more than our hockey team. Hockey in Canada is woven into the fabric of our lives, and being the best in the world is very important. I applaud the team, management, and Hockey Canada for a job well done with the entire nation counting on them to bring home gold.
(3.) Watching the level of play in the entire Olympic tournament, but especially the gold medal game, what are your thoughts on the state of the game?
Hockey just continues to get better and better. The athletes, the training techniques, the coaching, and the preparation all continue to get more sophisticated which in return makes our game better. As a fan, it is amazing to see the game being played at a remarkable speed, and with amazing finesse.
(4.) How do you think the excitement around the Olympic hockey tournament helps grow the game? How can the NHL build on the momentum to bring new fans to hockey?
In Canada alone, I believe more than 85 percent of the public watched the Gold medal game, but more impressive was the overall attention from countries around the world. It is clear that hockey on an international level is becoming bigger and bigger. The United States has emerged as a world power again, garnering tremendous support in the US. I really believe that in the near future, our game will extend itself into Europe and hockey’s popularity will continue to rise around the world.
