Grinding Canucks pick up first win in hockey tourney
GANGNEUNG — Team Canada defenceman Chris Lee looked up during the pre-game warmup and caught a glimpse of his family in the stands waving the Canadian flag.
“That caught me off guard a little bit. I was taken aback by that. It was a pretty special moment that they can be here and support me like that,” said the 37-year-old Lee, who has played in five different pro leagues in four different countries.
Winger Wojtek Wolski had 11 members of his family on hand at the Kwandong Hockey Centre, with more coming.
“I’m sure you saw them. My uncle was running around with a sign with my name on it and a cowboy hat on,” said the 31year-old from Toronto, who has battled a broken neck and depression during his hockey career. I’ve got 11 people here and some more coming. They’re very excited and very proud.”
The National Hockey Leaguers may be missing, but the players wearing the Maple Leaf for Team Canada at the Pyeongchang Winter Games wasted little time making memories as they opened their Olympic campaign with a 5-1 victory over Switzerland Thursday.
Wolski and Rene Bourque each scored twice while Derek Roy had three assists.
Maxim Noreau had a goal and an assist for a hard-working, hard-skating Canada. Lee had a pair of assists.
For a team expected to score by committee, the Canadian men found their offence early. They led 2-0 after 7 1/2 minutes and made the Swiss pay twice when they went to the penalty box.
Simon Moser pulled one back for Switzerland
on the power play at 7:33 of the third, tapping in a puck that trickled through Ben Scrivens’ legs after a goalmouth scramble.
“Job 1 done,” said Lee, a MacTier, Ont., native. “And we know it’s not going to get any easier moving forward.”
Canada’s next game is Saturday against the Czech Republic, which beat South Korea 2-1 in the other night game at the Gangneung Hockey Centre.
It marked the first time since the 1994 Games that Canada fielded a team that wasn’t made up of NHLers. And the first time since 1956 that no player on Team Canada had any Olympic experience.
Canada’s 25-man roster does boast 5,544 NHL games played, led by captain Chris Kelly’s 833 outings with the Boston Bruins and Ottawa Senators. Lee and fellow defenceman Mat Robinson are the only players without NHL experience.
Lee said Canada will have to grind its way through the tournament, agreeing that it probably won’t be pretty.
“It’s not, especially with our team. I think we’re going to work our butts off. We’re going to find a way to score goals. They’re not going to be pretty goals, but we’ll work hard and hopefully make our country proud.”
The Swiss team is made up entirely of Swiss league talent. Canada’s squad is European-based with the exception of the players from the North American minors.
The Canadians chased Swiss goalie Leonardo Genoni less than six minutes into the second after he gave up his fourth goal on 12 shots.