Unveiling the jersey: Crosby goal starts national celebration
On October 8, Hockey Canada will unveil the jerseys to be worn in Sochi by Canadian women’s and men’s national hockey teams at the 2014 Winter Olympics. Leading up to the day, Olympic.ca will revisit the five gold medals won by Canada at the Winter Games and the jerseys worn en route to each gold medal performance.
See also: 2002 women | 2002 men | 2006 women | 2010 women
The Game
With the women’s team golden a day earlier in Vancouver, the focus turned to the men’s final. A quarterfinal ouster to Russia in Turin four years earlier didn’t sit well with Canadians and winning double hockey gold at home was a national priority. It has been estimated that two thirds of the country tuned in to watch some part of the men’s final.
Getting there wasn’t easy. Canada squeaked by Switzerland in a shootout and lost to the U.S. in the preliminary round, forcing them to qualification playoffs against Germany. From here Canada turned on the firepower, beating the Germans 8-2, avenging the Turin loss to Russia by winning 7-3 and holding off a third period charge from Slovakia for a 3-2 victory in the semifinals.
The gold medal game against the U.S. provided one of the most iconic images in Canadian sport history with Sidney Crosby scoring the winner and kicking off a national celebration. It was Crosby’s fourth goal and seventh point of the tournament. Jonathan Toews led Canada in scoring with eight points and Jarome Iginla (who assisted on Crosby’s winner) was the country’s top goal scorer with five.
The Jersey
On the 2010 women’s gold story the logo removal was mentioned, creating the need for a new design. This allowed Hockey Canada to create something uniquely Canadian for the Games on home ice. Aided by Musqueam artist Debra Sparrow, heritage icons including First Nations symbols the thunderbird and eagle were incorporated into a prominently displayed Maple Leaf crest at the front of red and white jerseys.
Crosby’s game winning goal
