Well-travelled Flames farmhand makes Games cut
Sitting with a group of Canadian teammates, Cody Goloubef was at the University of Wisconsin’s viewing party when Chris Cuthbert called Sidney Crosby’s Golden Goal at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver.
He also won gold with the Canadian world junior team in 2009.
As a kid with the Toronto Marlboros, then as a 16-year-old with the Milton Icehawks, then on to the Oakville Blades, Springfield Falcons, Columbus Blue Jackets, Colorado Avalanche, San Antonio Rampage, Cleveland Monsters, Stockton Heat and with Canada at the Spengler Cup, Goloubef has been cheering on his country since before he can remember.
So the answer — what it means to be named to Canada’s 2018 Olympic men’s hockey team — is clear.
“Like every Canadian kid, I was glued to the TV during the winter and summer,” said Goloubef, a native of Oakville, Ont., who was calling from Stockton, Calif., shortly after the announcement was made official Thursday at Hockey Canada headquarters in Calgary. “It’s such a cool event and something that’s so rare.”
For him, being selected among the 14 forwards, eight defenceman and three goalies from seven different leagues across North America and Europe, represents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to help Canada capture a third consecutive gold medal.
Goloubef, who was part of Canada’s gold medal-winning Spengler Cup team last month, played under Olympic head coach Willie Desjardins with the Canadian contingent at the 2009 world juniors.
Signing an American Hockey League deal with the Calgary Flames in the off-season, Goloubef has been on a defence pairing with Flames prospect Oliver Kylington. With Stockton, he’s played 27 games, recording six goals and eight assists.
“We’re really proud of Cody,” said Flames assistant general manager Brad Pascall. “Having worked at Hockey Canada, I know how special the Olympics are for the athletes and around Olympic Village and just experiencing the whole moment.
“In Cody’s case, he’s a guy who’s been in the NHL for the last couple of years and was a player we liked. He’s played very well for us. He’s provided good stability for our young players down there.”
At 28, Goloubef is old enough to understand the magnitude of this opportunity. With 129 NHL games under his belt between the Blue Jackets and the Avalanche and a baby on the way (his wife Allie, who is earning her real estate licence in Oakville, is due with the couple’s first child), the former 2008 second-round pick by Columbus is seizing the chance.
He’s confident it’ll be a fun tournament for fans, too, despite the absence of NHLers.
“I think it’s going to be good competition through and through,” Goloubef said. “No game is going to be a cakewalk. Every game is going to be a good game.
“Canadians want to win, no matter who it is. When you watch the world juniors, it’s not NHL players playing and people still rally around it and get super excited. Everyone is going to want to win gold, no matter who is on the ice. Just because it’s not NHL guys, a lot of guys have played in the NHL. It’s not that big of a difference.
“There might not be Sidney Crosby or the superstars. But you look at that roster — there’s a ton of guys who have played in the NHL. To a certain extent, there are NHL guys playing. I think it’s going to be really good competition and I think hockey fans are going to get what they want.”
Former Senators forward Chris Kelly leads the way for Canada with 833 regular-season NHL games. Former Flames winger Rene Bourque, playing in the Swedish League, is also on the roster. Ditto for speed demon Mason Raymond and Linden Vey (both former Flames), while Calgarians Brandon Kozun and Mat Robinson (both playing in the KHL) are suiting up, too.
Goloubef said those guys can still wheel.
“The one thing I learned going over to the Spengler Cup and playing, guys that play in Europe are just as talented as the guys that play here,” he said. “A lot of those guys could still be playing in the NHL but some of them made their own decisions to go over. It’s not necessarily right to say, ‘Oh, they’re not good enough to play anymore.’ Some guys were just done with putting up with the day-to-day nonsense and wanted to play abroad. I was impressed with the skill level.
“Guys assume, ‘Oh, he went to Europe and couldn’t cut it anymore.’ Actually, a lot of those guys wanted to make a lot of money and didn’t want to do the day-to-day, up-and-down, in-and-out of the lineup anymore. It’s something people are going to see at the Olympics … people will be wondering why certain guys aren’t playing in the NHL.”