From 1952 to 2002: An Olympic Odyssey

Page 1 | 2

It was like Wayne Gretzky was still a player just seconds after Team Canada’s last game of the Olympic hockey tournament in Salt Lake City, Utah.

As he pumped his fist repeatedly, the Great One was grinning and giddy. Gretzky’s elation was shared from coast-to-coast on February 24, 2002, when Canada defeated the United States 5-2 to capture the gold medal. Ironically, the Edmonton Mercurys won Canada’s last Olympic championship on the same day in 1952.

Gretzky, Team Canada’s executive director, wanted to avenge Canada’s disappointing fourth-place finish at the 1998 Olympics in Nagano, Japan.

"We desperately needed to win this tournament," Gretzky told the Canadian Press afterward.

Gretzky had his finger on every detail of the 2002 team. He had input on the design and look of Team Canada’s sweaters and pushed hard for the players he wanted on the roster.

Alberta Influence

Canada’s roster included Edmonton Oilers Eric Brewer and Ryan Smyth, along with Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Curtis Joseph, who starred for the Oilers from 1996-1998.

Other Alberta representation included Calgary Flames star Jarome Iginla, an Edmonton native. Iginla tallied two goals and an assist in the gold medal game, while finishing third in team scoring. Current Oilers general manager Kevin Lowe was part of the coaching staff.

Edmonton-based ice-maker Trent Evans would embed a lucky loonie at centre ice in the E-Center before the gold medal game. Evans presented his lucky charm to Gretzky after the Canadian win and the coin subsequently went on display at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto.

Golden Road

Team Canada began the tournament on a sour note, losing 5-2 to Sweden. But after a win over Germany and a tie with the Czech Republic, the Canadians defeated Finland in the quarter-finals before bombing Belarus in the semi-finals.

While winning the gold avenged the no-medal showing in Nagano, Canadian forward Steve Yzerman put the win in perspective.

"I don’t think you’ll see any country ever dominate international hockey again," Yzerman told Robert Russo of the Canadian Press. "We’re all too balanced now for any team to dominate."

[continue]

[back] [top]