(Beijing) Her name is Sarah Fillier. She’s 21 years old. She is studying psychology. She enjoys cooking, traveling, listening to music and watching reality shows. A young woman like the others – except for one detail.
Posted at 12:40 p.m.
She is the best hockey player of her generation.
His shot is powerful. His spellbinding kick. His vision of the game, stunning. Assets that make her the best hope of Canadian women’s hockey for 10 years.
“She’s electric,” exclaimed her teammate, Sarah Nurse.
“She has more talent than me [au même âge] enthused his childhood idol, Marie-Philip Poulin. A nice compliment, considering that at 21, the Quebec striker already had a selection on the Olympics all-star team, and eight goals at the World Championships.
In fact, I can’t remember another player having had such an impact, so young, in her debut at the Games. Thursday, during her very first period at the Olympic Games, against the Swiss, Sarah Fillier scored two goals and prepared for Natalie Spooner. On Saturday, despite the absence of her line partner Mélodie Daoust, the blond comet still scored two goals, this time against the Finns, in an 11-1 massacre.
PHOTO MATT SLOCUM, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Natalie Spooner (24) and Sarah Fillier (10) during the match against Switzerland, February 3, 2022.
And what goals! The first, on a lightning wrist shot. The second, from a backhand throw into the skylight. Stunning – except for the Chinese spectators, who remained stoic.
Two options. Or these fans have watched the 1987 Canada Cup over and over, and nothing impresses them anymore. Or they have absolutely no idea what is happening before their eyes.
But for the discerning, or even casual, eye, it is impossible to be insensitive to the talent displayed by Sarah Fillier against Switzerland and Finland, two teams among the five best in the world. In those two games, she had 15 shots on target and posted a +8 differential. Surreal figures, in a competition of this level.
To be young like her, to arrive on a stage like that of the Olympic Games and to demonstrate her talent in this way, it’s incredible. She is ready. She is confident. She talks more and more in the locker room.
Marie-Philip Poulin
It’s as if Fillier had found a shortcut to the top of the learning curve. “Is she still asking you for advice,” I asked veteran Brianne Jenner, who scored a hat trick against the Finns.
“Ha! Ha! Ha! It would be better for me to ask him for tips to score more goals! »
” [Sarah] is great,” said Canada’s head coach, Troy Ryan. “She has impressed me since the start of the season. She plays the right way. She is fast. She is dangerous. She likes to score goals, and she knows how to do it. »
And obviously, she manages the pressure better than others. Earlier this week, Canadian journalists dubbed her the Connor McDavid of women’s hockey. Was this comparison with a man really necessary? It made Marie-Philip Poulin wince. “She can simply be the Sarah Fillier of women’s hockey. »
A colleague reminded Poulin that early in her career she herself had been compared to Sidney Crosby. Is this putting too much pressure on young players? The Quebec forward didn’t seem to worry about her young teammate. “You learn to deal with this. Yes, it’s pressure. But it is also a privilege. »
A quick note on Saturday’s 11-1 victory: the Canadians padlocked the Finns in the back of their territory, with a sustained forecheck from the first to the last minute. This pressure caused an inordinate number of interceptions, some of which led to goals. If the Canadians can maintain this pace of play for another week, their chances of beating the Americans are encouraging.
Win together, lose together
As much as the hockey team is tightly knit, the short track skating team frayed on Saturday after its disqualification in the mixed relay final.
Florence Brunelle, 18, tried to overtake from the inside. She pushed a little too much, and touched the blade of her Hungarian opponent. A mistake. His coach, Stéphane Cros, did not blame him. “When you want to win, you have to go there, you have to take risks. And sometimes it doesn’t work. When it works, we are happy. When it doesn’t work, you have to accept it and start over. »
PHOTO BERNAT ARMANGUE, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Petra Jaszapati and Florence Brunelle during their fall.
Except that at the time, the skaters, precisely, did not accept it. Florence Brunelle arrived alone in the mixed zone, and deliberately ignored the contingent of Canadian journalists. The men, frustrated, followed a few minutes later, and imitated her. Witnessing the scene, Kim Boutin acted as a leader and took one for the team, agreeing to be the only one to answer questions from the written press. Thanks, by the way.
“It’s heartbreaking [pour Florence], commented the triple Olympic medalist. It also happened to me at my first Games also with the relay. We had suffered a disqualification because of me. In a relay, we all take responsibility. For us, it was really important to have a good exchange on the other side. In this situation, it would have been better to remain calm. But we said to ourselves at the beginning that we wanted to give everything. These are risks we take. It happens. It’s really a pity. »
I emphasize: we all take responsibility. Wise words, which his teammates should take inspiration from for the rest of things. In a team sport, we win together. We lose together. And above all, we face adversity together.
Success depends on it.