Still an Olympic flame
In absentia, Bruins players retain rooting interests
Some Bruins and many other NHL players across the league were bitterly disappointed when the owners and commissioner Gary Bettman announced that they were not going to shut down the league and go to the Winter Olympics in South Korea.
But that doesn’t mean the players will turn a cold shoulder to the men’s hockey tournament that’s going on without them. Hockey is a global sport — at least the chilly parts of the globe — and there can be a double-digit number of nations represented in any given NHL locker room. For the most part, the players do an amazing job of speaking the unique language of hockey and coming together as a team.
There’s nothing like a good international tournament, however, to stir the various national pride within those rooms.
For the Bruins of Canadian descent, there’s even extra rooting interest with former B’s forward Chris Kelly being named captain of Team Canada.
“I’ll be following, for sure,” said Patrice Bergeron, who has won two Olympic gold medals. “I’ll definitely be cheering Canada on. It’s definitely disappointing to not be there. It would have been nice to have a say in it. But with a guy like Kells, I’ll be watching. He got named captain. I’m really happy for him. It’s an amazing way to end, if it is the end for him. I honestly couldn’t be happier for all these guys who have a chance and deserve it and to me it’s the same thing. They’re going to represent us and hopefully they do well.”
No one was more disappointed about the NHL’s decision than Brad Marchand — and for good reason. He has developed into an elite player and, with his standout performance in the World Cup, he would have been on the short list to go. He has not yet enjoyed the Olympic honor and there is no telling where his standing in the game will be four years from now when many expect the league will try to get back into the Games when they’re being held in China. But he’ll put that disappointment aside for a couple of weeks.
“I’m going to watch it,” Marchand said. “Chris Kelly and I were close buddies, he’s obviously over there and I want to support him and hopefully they do well. Any time there’s a tournament that Team Canada is in I like to watch and root for them. It’s probably the biggest stage you can play on, so I’m going to watch.”
David Backes has played in two Olympiads and has always worn his stars and stripes on his sleeve. He plans to take it all in, as much as he can.
“Sitting on the couch with my wife watching (the Opening Ceremonies), we were thinking it was crazy that we were at the last two of these and not watching them on TV from across the globe,” Backes said. “Hockey-wise, I’ll certainly be watching. I’ll have the red-white-and-blue cheering section in my house and wishing those guys nothing but the best.”
Tuukka Rask, who played in the 2014 Olympics for Finland, said it may not be appointment viewing for him, but he knows a good number of his countrymen playing for the national team and will catch the games when he can. He does hope the tourney goes back to best-on-best.
“It’s one of the only opportunities for us who play in the NHL to have a chance to play for your country at the highest level,” Rask said. “It would be great if we get to play there. But nowadays things are decided by politicians and the politics surrounding the sports. Sports is not necessarily the No.1 thing driving the decisions.”
Charlie McAvoy knows plenty of the young Team USA members, including Bruins prospect Ryan Donato as well guys he’s played with such as former roommate and close friend Jordan Greenway and U.S. National Development Team alum Troy Terry. He’ll be watching and rooting for the red-white-andblue buddies.
If McAvoy’s game trends the way everyone expects it to and the NHL returns to the Games, then he would likely be a candidate to go. He’s already represented the country numerous times.
“It would mean the world to me to play in the Olympics,” McAvoy said. “That would be one of the most special things I’ve ever done. I have so much pride whenever I represent us in hockey, World Junior championships, all those things. It so much fun. That would be the pinnacle of it all, to play in the Olympics, something I’ve dreamed of since I was a little kid.”