Life sometimes holds beautiful surprises. In 2002, 11-year-old Mark Barberio watched Canada win gold in Salt Lake City and dreamed of one day representing the maple leaf at the Olympics. Twenty years later, at 31 and almost two years after his last game in the NHL, the Quebec defender sees this dream come true.
Posted at 5:47 p.m.
“It was a special call to receive,” suggested the former Tampa Bay Lightning, Canadiens and Colorado Avalanche on Friday, as part of the podcast Exit Zone, a collaboration between The Press and 98.5.
“I was just too excited, too proud,” he continued. I immediately contacted my parents and family in Canada to tell them the good news. »
The 6-foot-1 defenseman, who currently plays in the KHL, had known for a while that he had a chance of being selected on the team. In the event that the National League withdraws its players from the Games, Hockey Canada has prepared a list of players who could take part.
“I was on that list,” Barberio said. Afterwards, I knew that if I played well, there was a chance that I would make this club. But at the same time, you don’t take anything for granted. We know that there are always good defenders all over the world who play in Europe and in junior colleges. You never know. But I was really proud to receive this call. »
I never thought I would have an opportunity like this. When you’re a kid, you dream of that. I remember watching the Olympics every time with my family. I remember 2002 in Salt Lake City. Yes, you dream about it, but you would never think it would come true. Now I just can’t wait to get there.
Mark Barberio
In Beijing, the Canadian formation will have an experienced team, quite the opposite of that of its American neighbor. A total of 15 players aged 30 or over will wear the white, black and red uniform. There are also four players aged 20 and under.
“I think we have a good balance of veterans, but also good young players who are very promising,” Barberio said. It’s still crazy to see the difference between a guy like Eric Staal, who is 37, and Owen Power, who has just been selected first overall [du repêchage de la LNH] and he’s just 19. »
A stepping stone to the NHL?
A sixth-round pick in the 2008 draft, Barberio played 272 games on the Bettman circuit between 2012 and 2020, amassing 56 points. In 2020, he crossed the Atlantic Ocean to join Lausanne HC, in Switzerland, where he played until recently, before transferring to KHL with the Ak Bars of Kazan.
The Montrealer could still make a return to the National League. Asked about it, he said he hadn’t even given a single thought to the possibility.
“Honestly, I don’t think about that now,” he said. my head is right [tournée vers notre] arrived at the Olympics. [Je veux] perform well for the country. It’s crazy to say that. My goal is just to bring back the gold medal for our country and I’m not even thinking of the NHL. »
Barberio is currently in Davos, Switzerland, where the Canadian team is taking part in pre-Games precamp. There, team meetings are held face-to-face, but the players are divided into groups, the defender noted.
Moreover, concerning the COVID-19, the ex-number 45 of the Habs does not have the slightest concern. “I understand that there will be a lot of [mesures à respecter] to make sure no one gets COVID-19 and all that. […] For us, for hockey players, our goal is the gold medal and that’s all we think about. »