Eric Staal knows the immense joy of winning Olympic gold. He is also aware of the pain of not winning a medal at the Games.
And there are three Canadian teammates at the 2022 hockey tournament who had an experience in between, which was a bronze medal four years ago.
“They want more,” said Staal, who stood on the top step of the podium with Canada’s NHL players in 2010 after being on the reserve team in 2006 when the country lost in the quarterfinals. final. The bronze was special, but they want a gold medal.
“To have them in this group is huge. »
The trio of center Eric O’Dell and defenders Maxim Noreau and Mat Robinson were part of the team that finished third in Pyeongchang. They are certainly proud to have brought home a medal, but also bitterly disappointed by a poor start in a semi-final loss to Germany which cost them an opportunity to claim the ultimate award.
“We all know we’d like to get back on that one,” Noreau said of the game where Canada fell 3-0 early in the second period. This changed the rest of the tournament. »
The Canadians ended up closing the gap to 4-3 in the third but couldn’t tie the game.
To their credit, the players overcame that disappointment and bounced back to claim bronze with a 6-4 win over the Czech Republic just 24 hours later.
Four years later, they’re back for another unlikely Olympic adventure following the NHL’s decision to skip the Games, this time due to COVID-19.
“You could say in a way that it’s a second dream come true… That’s the best way to describe it,” confided Noreau, a 34-year-old Montrealer playing professionally in Switzerland. The first time was obviously very special.
“To be able to come back this year and share this with a new group is going to be pretty special. »
Canada begin their Group A schedule against Germany as 10 players return from 2018 on Thursday at the Wukesong Sports Centre. This group also includes the United States and China.
The message from the 2018 veterans is to roll under the blows in Beijing.
“Every game is going to be tough, every team is good, everyone has a chance to win,” said O’Dell, 31, a native of Ottawa and playing in the KHL in Russia. We can’t take our foot off the accelerator. »
That’s what happened early in the game against Germany four years ago, and the Canadians paid the price.
“We were able to come back from a devastating loss,” said Calgary’s Robinson, another KHL player. It’s an experience that we can use when we play against certain teams or at the start of the medal round, where it’s all about one game. That’s all it takes. »
“We have to be focused and ready at all times. The experience of this match is going to be useful. »
Short-lived tournaments can be unpredictable, but that’s even more true during a pandemic. Canada experienced it before when head coach Claude Julien fractured his ribs after a fall at the team’s training camp in Switzerland and couldn’t make the trip.
“Guys could be knocked out with COVID or injuries,” Noreau said. We didn’t really know until the last minute what the team would look like. »
“Knowing how to adapt is going to be key for us. »
In short
Forward Daniel Carr and defender Brandon Gormley have finally arrived in Beijing after testing positive for COVID-19 ahead of camp in Switzerland. “We’re going to need everyone,” said head coach Jeremy Colliton. They had to overcome a few obstacles, but they are here now. »
Goaltender Matt Tomkins, who played half of Monday’s mock game against the United States, did not practice. Edward Pasquale and Devon Levi — the team’s other goalies — were both on the ice with their teammates on Tuesday.