The best hockey players from Canada, Sweden, Finland and the U.S. will represent their home countries at the 4 Nations Face-Off, which started Wednesday.
The Canadian roster is stacked and included some very high-profile hometown heroes.
“Best-on-best is just amazing. I know all the players are ramped up for it and certainly all of Canada for sure. But it’s just gonna be a spectacular tournament. It’s a toss-up who’s gonna win, the teams are so talented,” says hockey coach Brad Crossley.
Three Nova Scotians – Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon and Brad Marchand – are on the team and it’s safe to say their hometown fans are cheering them on.
James Penny, who lives in Cole Harbour, N.S., says he’s proud to be from the same community as these high-performance athletes.
“To be able to tell my friends up north or down in Newfoundland that I play in the arena that spawned Mackinnon and Sidney Crosby is a wonderful thing,” says Penny.
Crossley, who coached all three local hockey heroes, says he looks forward to seeing them on the ice together representing Canada.
“Just knowing them personally, they would be so excited not only to play together but to play for Canada and wear the maple leaf. You can guarantee that they are going to be giving their best in every situation,” says Crossley.
“I know how they compete, I know how much they care. Everyone would love to have them on their team, and they will play an instrumental role in Canada’s success.”
Jon Greenwood, who coached Nathan Mackinnon in his Peewee years, says he’s honoured to have been a small part in his journey.
“There is definitely still ‘pinch you’ moments throughout the years and to see them as men, you know it’s cool to look back and see that. Nate, for example, he’s just a bigger version of his 10-year-old self in a lot of ways. I guess as a player he was very intense, skilled and fast and now he’s just this giant version of what he was at that age, it’s pretty cool to see that,” says Greenwood.
“They obviously have some God-given abilities, but we are all proud of their work ethics. Their work ethics are really well known in the hockey world.”
“It’s out of this world that three young fellows from Nova Scotia would be representing Canada. It’s an honour. It puts us on the map,” says Betty Fogarty, a Cole Harbour resident.
“To have that much talent in such a small pool of players, it’s pretty amazing. And hopefully you know they will play together tonight, that’s everybody’s wish,” says Jean Leclerc, another Cole Harbour resident.
The first puck drops Wednesday at 9 p.m. when Canada faces Sweden. On Saturday, Canada takes on the United States and Monday Canada goes up against Finland. The championship game takes place Feb. 20.
