Meaghan Mikkelson had a major decision to make not long after she was one of the last three players released from Team Canada before the Olympic Games.
One option would see the veteran defender heading to Beijing with the rest of Team Canada, but likely not playing. The other would see her join a broadcast panel, analysing her teammates and rivals in their bid to win Olympic gold.
Mikkelson went with the second option. The two-time Olympic gold medallist is working alongside former teammate Shannon Szabados and host Kate Beirness, offering up not only insight and analysis, but the type of insider knowledge that comes from being in that dressing room and on the ice not long ago with Team Canada.
Mikkelson caught up with Sportsnet to help tee up the gold medal final, set for 11:10 p.m. ET on Wednesday, and featuring the usual suspects: The reigning Olympic champion Americans against the reigning world champion Canadians. The 37-year-old offers her prediction for the big game, gives her take on why this version of Team Canada is the best ever, discusses how she got over the disappointment of being released from the team, and gets into the pressure she feels ahead of the gold medal final.
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Sportsnet: The panel looks like it’s a lot of fun.
Mikkelson: We’re having a blast. Kate is such a pro, so it’s been easy to work with her. Her personality too, she’s so much fun, she brings so much energy, and she loves the game. And I mean, Szabby [Szabados], I’ve known her since we were teenagers. All the experiences we’ve had together and being back doing something like this with her, it makes it extra special.
How soon after you were released from Team Canada did this broadcasting opportunity come up?
Mikkelson: It was a day or two after. I was asked to be an alternate for the Olympics as well [for Team Canada.] I was lucky that I was able to hang onto that alternate position for a while. But I committed to CBC. The work that I did in broadcasting last year, doing the Oilers games [as an analyst for Sportsnet], I loved it so much and I knew that this was an incredible opportunity for me.
So when it became a little more evident that I wasn’t being called upon as the alternate, that nothing was coming of that, I was all in on this. I knew that doing the Olympics as a broadcaster, it’s a dream for a lot of people, so to have that sitting in front of me after such a huge disappointment of not being named to the team, I just thought it was a perfect next step for me.
That seems like such a tough decision…
It was hard, but it was easy at the same time. I decided that if something happened and it would be clear that I would be on the team, that’s a different scenario than going over and sitting in the stands and waiting and wondering. I was so grateful to CBC to come at me with the offer, and I was committed to them and so excited. I had shifted gears so quickly. It was a weird space to be in. I think deep down I knew — considering the circumstances, considering what had happened — this is where I wanted to be.
I’ve had a tremendous career and I’m very thankful for my Olympic experiences, but when you have an opportunity for growth and challenge in life, I think you need to jump at it. That’s more what this was about for me. It wasn’t about being an alternate, it was about doing something that scared me a little bit, puts me outside of my comfort zone, would help me grow in an industry that I would like to get into. And it’s challenging me — it’s immediately requires my full attention and commitment.
Canada’s Becky Kellar, Rebecca Johnston, Carla Macleod, Meaghan Mikkelson, and Colleen Sostorics pose for a photo at centre ice after winning the gold medal over the USA in the women’s final ice hockey game at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, Thursday Feb. 25, 2010. (Jonathan Hayward/CP)
The schedule must have been bananas during the round-robin stage, with games at 11 p.m. and 8 a.m., what did those days look like and when did you sleep?
[Laughs] We’re just zonked. The games are at 11 p.m., so I’ve been trying to have a nap because then you get to the studio about four hours before the game, to start hair and makeup. We’re on set for rehearsal about half an hour before the game. Then in the game you’re in the thick of it and analyzing, and when it ends, we normally get to sleep at about 2:30 or 3 in the morning, if you can go to sleep. We’ve been sleeping in our dressing rooms at the studio, to maximize sleep [laughs.] The hotel is across the street, but it’s a 10-minute walk, so we’re like, “Nope, we’re sleeping on our couches.”
Wow.
Yep. And then we’re back in hair and makeup at 5:30 a.m.
Can’t you just ride the old hair and makeup into the second game?
Yeah [laughs], we just get touched up in the morning. And then it’s the 8 a.m. game. We usually get back to the hotel at about 11:30 a.m., and then you’ve got to sleep at that point.
How much preparation will you do ahead of the gold medal game?
Hours, probably. Reading and brainstorming, thinking of ideas. This is a big job, having the honour to report on a gold medal game of the Olympics. You have a responsibility to bring the best stories to Canadians. That is our job. There’s pressure that comes with playing in the gold medal game, but there’s also pressure that comes with being on the panel for a gold medal game [laughs].
Are you texting your former teammates for updates?
I still talk to a few of the players, but I’m very respectful. They’re my best friends, so it’s more, “Hey, how are you? How are things going?” And then if I have a question I might ask it, like I was asking them about the ice, because the puck’s really bouncing. But I try not to poke and prod because I want to be respectful of them and of the team as well.
How’s the ice?
They say the ice is great.
Canada players gather before their hockey game against Switzerland at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Monday, Feb. 14, 2022, in Beijing. (Petr David Josek/AP)
You were in that dressing room so recently. Is it a fine balance with how much you’re getting into on the panel?
Honestly, it has not been a challenge for me at all. I’ve had no problems talking about the team and what goes on in the dressing room. The relationships that I have with a lot of those girls, they’re my best friends, but I think I’m still able to provide an unbiased viewpoint of the game, and I’m comfortable doing that because I wouldn’t say anything they wouldn’t say about themselves. They’re their own biggest critics and that’s why they’re as good as they are. If I pick out a play — like in the first game against the Americans [in the round robin], they weren’t good, but they knew it, and they would say that themselves.
For me, it’s an honour to be providing insight into what it’s like behind the scenes. I was there. To share that and share the stories of the players, I think that’s important. Seeing a player like [forward] Jamie Lee Rattray and knowing what she’s gone through, or [goalie] Emerance Maschmeyer. Both of them played in world championships before the last Olympics, and then they weren’t centralized for the 2018 Olympic year. That was a big setback, I think. Then turning around and coming back and being at the Olympics — Jamie Lee Rattray, she’s scoring [she has five goals in six games]. Emerance Maschmeyer had an outstanding game [an 11-save shut-out in the quarter-final]. There’s a ton of examples.
I know the challenges that they’ve faced, so to see them being so successful, I’m so happy to see it. It’s really easy for me to talk about.
You were in the midst of a comeback from a knee injury when you were trying to make this team. [Mikkelson suffered major ligament damage during a game in May, 2021]. What was your mindset in pursuing that comeback with such a short timeline before the Olympics?
For me it was about defying the odds and redefining success. And the defying the odds part goes back to when I first got injured, and they told me it was going to be 9-12 months, and that I was no longer going to be centralized [with Team Canada ahead of the Winter Games]. I met with the surgeon, he said if things go better than perfect, then you can make it happen. All I asked for was a chance. When [Team Canada] told me I was going to be given that chance, I was also told that no matter what, it might not be enough time.
The Olympic process is a five-month tryout, so for me to be back playing, I think I was with the team for 12 days out of a five-month process. Four games in 12 days. Going into it they told me that there just might not be enough time, and I knew that. But I’m the type of person that if you tell me I can’t do something, I’m going to try to prove you wrong. It was about challenging myself and being fully immersed in the rehab process. I made it my full-time job. And in the end I was successful in doing that.
I think as athletes we’re often so focused on medals or scores and results, team selection. So much of it is out of our control. At this point in my career, I don’t know if this is the end for me, it’s too early to say that. But the way I thought of it was: If this is the end, what does success look like for me, granted that there might not be enough time? So it couldn’t be based on whether or not I made the team. I wanted to be able to look back and say that I did everything that I could, that I was all-in. And I think that’s why I’m so at peace with it, because there’s literally nothing else I could have done.
I turned a nine- to 12-month rehab process into five-and-a-half months, and I’m very happy with the way that I played when I came back. I couldn’t have asked for more from myself. I find a lot of comfort in that.
Canada players (left to right) Meaghan Mikkelson, Caroline Ouellette, Melodie Daoust and Jayna Hefford celebrate after beating the United States 3-2 in overtime in the women’s hockey final at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia on Thursday, February 20, 2014. (Nathan Denette/CP)
One rookie on this stage who’s drawing a lot of notice for Canada is Sarah Fillier. [The 21-year-old from Georgetown, Ont., has eight goals in six games]. Can you give us a sense of her skillset?
You definitely have to be aware when you’re going up against her, because she’s really shifty. You have to take away her time and space very, very quickly. She’s a player that had a few camps in 2019 [with Team Canada] and I think she would say she wasn’t probably thrilled with her play. But watching her now, she’s really found her stride and her confidence. She’s so confident and yet so humble at the same time. I think she’s the next big one on this team.
We could name anyone on this Canadian team — everybody’s scoring. But Brianne Jenner has tied the all-time record for most goals by a woman in the Olympic tournament [nine goals in six games], and you could argue she doesn’t get the recognition she should. What should fans know about Jenner?
Oh, just a great human. She’s one of my best friends on the team. She’s one of the most genuine people you would ever meet. I love her. I think this has probably been hard for her, too, because she has a five-month-old little girl at home. I’m so happy to see her scoring the way she is and playing as well as she is. She’s a great leader, she works her tail off in the gym. I don’t think she gets the profile that she deserves either. I’m hoping that after this she gets a little more. I’ve played with her since 2009 and she’s playing the best hockey of her career right now, which is amazing to see.
You look at a lot of players and how the team itself is performing and you wonder if it has to do with the environment and the culture of the team. [The top six scorers in the tournament are Canadian, paced by Sarah Nurse, who has 16 points in six games. Canada’s 54 goals sets a record for most scored in a women’s Olympic hockey tournament]. They’re playing with confidence, they’re a very united group. And it’s nice to see Jenner playing with Marie-Philip Poulin. Since they were put together [ahead of the 2021 world championships] they’ve been dynamite. That’s been a great fit as well.
I don’t want to ask you whether women’s hockey belongs in the Olympics, but is that ever a big topic lately.
Ugh. It comes up every four years.
Is it louder this year? It seems louder.
I think it’s louder because people are responding to it, and people aren’t afraid to speak up against it. It absolutely belongs in the Olympics, and I would point to the article that Jayna Hefford wrote [for the Toronto Star], which was outstanding. Hailey Salvian also wrote a great article [for The Athletic], which was great.
It wouldn’t be solving anything, taking it out of the Olympics. Are there issues? Yes. But I think the biggest one to me is it comes down to the financial support that a lot of the other countries in the world just don’t have, and that we do. The U.S. and Canada are very fortunate to have the support from our federations and the amount of camps that we have and the funding. And other countries just don’t have that.
They are getting better, but I think we’re getting better at a quicker pace. But also, you look at the U.S.—Czech [quarter-final] game, and that’s the first time that the Czech Republic has played in the Olympics and they gave the reigning Olympic gold medallists a run for their money. [The Americans won, 4-1]. So you can’t sit there and say that all the scores are blowouts, because there’s exhibit A.
Team Canada player are introduced before a women’s semifinal hockey game against Switzerland at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Monday, Feb. 14, 2022, in Beijing. (Petr David Josek/AP)
Does anything about this Canadian team stand out compared to others you were a part of over the years? [Mikkelson debuted at the world championships in 2008].
This is the best team I’ve ever seen in my entirety in the program. I don’t think there’s ever been this kind of depth. But also, and it’s hard to put into words, the actual team that they are. It’s almost like a sisterhood. You genuinely care about the person sitting next to you, you would do absolutely anything for them. It’s hard when you’re in a competitive sport, you want to score goals and get points, but there’s none of that on the team, it’s about doing what you need to do to help the team win. I would say it’s the most selfless team that I’ve ever seen. And focused.
A little rapid fire here. Who has the most speed on Team Canada?
Natalie Spooner.
On Team USA?
Kendall Coyne Schofield.
Hardest shot?
Oooh, that’s tough. I’d say Marie-Philip Poulin. Other team, Hilary Knight.
How much will Team USA miss Brianna Decker in the final? [Decker, one of the best players in the world, was injured in their opener.]
A ton. I think they’re missing her big time, especially on their power play.
Best hands?
I would say Marie-Philip for Canada. Amanda Kessel, USA.
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Who’s the funniest member of Team Canada?
Oooh, we have some witty girls. I’ll go with Sarah Nurse. She’s pretty hilarious.
Who has the best style?
Natalie Spooner. She’s also my best friend so I might be a little bit biased.
The biggest sweet tooth on the team?
[Laughs.] Natalie Spooner again. She loves chocolate, treats, cookies. Big sweet tooth on that girl.
Your prediction for the gold medal final?
[Canadian goalie] Ann-Renee Desbiens is going to be outstanding. The penalty kill is going to be dynamite. I was thinking about this earlier: It’s either going to be 5-1 or 3-2 for Canada. I’m going with 3-2. Goals from Sarah Fillier, Marie-Philip Poulin, Brianne Jenner. For Team USA, Hilary Knight and Alex Carpenter.
Will you and Szabados be tearing up, no matter the outcome?
[Laughs.] Szabby’s not really the crying type. And I don’t know about me. If I do, it will be out of happiness for the players that have worked so hard for this.
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