“I can’t wait for the Olympics. I’m taking everything I’ve learned to Italy to represent my country. I’ve been waiting for this for so long,” McDavid describes.
According to the majority of the hockey public, the best player today expressed himself in this way in an emotional post for The Players’ Tribune website. In the text with the title “Dear Canada”, he addressed his words to the entire hockey nation.
McDavid celebrated his 29th birthday at the beginning of the year and will play under the five rings for the first time. As well as his similarly aged Canadian compatriots and world stars Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar.
Just like the Czechs David Pastrňák, Tomáš Hertl or Pavel Zacha. Like Americans Auston Matthews and Jack Eichel, like Swedes Victor Hedman and Mika Zibanejad.
“When I first put on the Canada jersey in the under-17 category, it’s been a dream of mine ever since,” continues McDavid.
“Putting on that red jersey and being in the locker room with different generations of great players — Sidney Crosby, Nate MacKinnon, Macklin Celebrini. It’s such an honor, really,” he adds.
He played two world championships with the adult national team and even has a gold medal from Moscow 2016. Last year he again won the premier Tournament of Four Countries.
But he didn’t meet the best players at the World Cup, and the Four Nations Tournament was only in its first year, moreover, with a severely reduced starting field. In short, none of it is close to the Olympics in terms of prestige or tradition.
“Some of my favorite hockey memories are connected to the national jersey, even as a fan. The Olympic triumphs of 2010 and 2014, I also remember snippets from 2002. For Canadians, these are key memories,” says McDavid.
He knows from his own experience that moments arise under the five circles that strongly inspire the next generation of young people.
“It seems like it wasn’t that long ago that my dad and brother Cameron and I were sitting in the ‘basement’ at home watching hockey. Mom was cooking dinner, Cam and I were on the couch, dad liked to sit on the floor for some reason,” recalls the Edmonton forward.
Those were the moments when he fell in love with hockey. “Cam and I always ate as quickly as possible so we could get back to hockey,” he adds.
Gradually, McDavid became a hockey “maniac”, the number one pick in the NHL draft and a leader who headed the Edmonton cabin as a captain at the age of 19. He realized that he was driven by the desire to constantly improve and to win every match.
“All my life I want to win, that’s who I am. I remember when I was 11 or 12 years old, we won about 50 games and lost one during the season. I cried to my dad on the way home,” reveals McDavid.
When he goes to the Olympic match for the first time, the Czechs will be there. They are the Canadians’ first opponent at the tournament – on Thursday, February 12.
“Fights of the best against the best, country against country, that’s where hockey becomes something else. It reminds us of shovels and snow, roller skates and scrapes from falls,” thinks the phenomenon, who collected a total of 1,328 points in 866 NHL games.
“I can’t wait,” McDavid repeats.
