Szabados sets sights on more Olympic gold
It should be no surprise that Shannon Szabados is part of the conversation when it comes to selecting Team Canada’s women’s hockey squad ahead of the 2018 Olympic Games in PyeongChang.
But to the 31-year-old Edmonton product, the fact that she’s vying for the starting goaltending job for a third time feels a little different.
A lot can happen between Olympic Games, and for Szabados, who captured gold in 2014 at Sochi and at the 2010 Vancouver Games, it’s been a wild ride.
“Yes and no,” said Szabados when asked if she’s exactly where she thought she would be four years ago.
“I took a little time off after Sochi and went down south and played in the SPHL (Southern Professional Hockey League). I had a blast. Four years is such a long time — you don’t know where your body is going to be at, and I’m getting up there in age. So I’m just kind of going year by year. But it came down to crunch time to make a decision.”
And sure enough, Szabados was part of the 28 women — and one of three netminders — that have gathered in Calgary to prepare for another Five Ring Circus.
This after becoming the first female to appear in the SPHL when she debuted with the Columbus Cottonmouths in the spring of 2014.
This after shaking off the drama of being released by the SPHL’s Peoria Rivermen last fall — drama that included head coach Jean-Guy Trudel spouting off to CBC Sports, saying he only signed Szabados as a “package deal” in order to get a teammate of Szabados, defenceman Carl Nielsen.
This after recovering from a torn MCL.
To an outsider, it may look like Szabados is a no-brainer addition to the national women’s team. But truth be told, life has dealt her a lot in the last few years.
“I really haven’t been in one spot for very long,” said Szabados, who played one game last season with the Fort Saskatchewan Chiefs of the Chinook Hockey League. “I’ve been living out of my suitcase for the last year.”
Overall, however, Szabados had a memorable experience in the SPHL.
“Hockey down south is growing, but at the same time, it’s entertainment,” she said. “If there’s nothing to do in town, they’ll watch the hockey game. They want fighting and action, so I guess seeing a girl on the ice was entertainment.”
After a tumultuous 2016-17 season that she spent recovering, Hockey Canada coaxed her into returning this year.
“I was kind of up in the air with where I would be playing, or if I would come back,” Szabados said. “I had a deal with Hockey Canada where I would take some time off to fully recover. They did a good job of putting some things in place for me as far as training and athletic therapy goes and working with my goalie coach in Calgary.”
With the women’s team centralized in Calgary since the beginning of August, Szabados is staying put for a while. There will be five cuts prior to the Olympic Games, but all three netminders — Szabados, Ann-Renee Desbiens and Genevieve Lacasse — will by vying to become Canada’s starting goalie.
Yes, Szabados has two Olympic Games under her belt, but she’s not taking anything for granted, especially as the leaves only just start to change.
“It’s a long season, and luckily, I’ve been through it twice before and kind of know what to expect,” Szabados said. “It’s a building process. We’re just getting back on the ice ... we have a lot of games before, so there’s not a lot of time to think about February. Obviously, that’s the end goal. So each day, you’re making sure you’re getting better. But at the same time, it’s week by week and day by day.”