GLENDALE, Arizona — For Duncan Keith and the batch of NHLers heading to Sochi, there’s no rest for the weary.
The Chicago Blackhawks returned home on Friday night after spending the past 13 days on the road. But for Keith and the eight other Olympians aboard their team charter, it was nothing more than a layover.
“It’s going to be a little crazy for the next few days,” Keith said, musing his itinerary. “I’ll get as much rest as I can before we head off, but it’s not going to be easy. We’re making a quick pit stop in New York on Saturday and then we’re off to Russia the very next day.”
“Saturday, of course, meaning tomorrow, a few hours from now?” I asked.
“I guess you’re right,” Keith laughed. “I think I’ll try and get some sleep on the plane tonight.”
A good plan, it was. Judging by the 10:30 p.m. MT departure from Jobing.com Arena, Keith, if he’s lucky, didn’t make it to bed until at least three or four o’clock in the morning. When it’s all for the trip of a lifetime, though, a little sleep depravation is a small price to pay.
“I can’t wait,” Keith said. “I’ve been trying not to think too much about it because you want to stay focused on what’s going on here, but it’s going to be an amazing experience.”
Keith, making his second appearance after winning it all in 2010, is one of three Canadian Blackhawks heading over for the Olympics. Patrick Sharp was left off the gold medal-winning squad back in 2010 but is currently on pace for a career season and is among the league leaders in goals (28) and points (58) with 22 games remaining.
It hasn’t always been an easy road for Sharp, who considers himself a student of the game with “much to improve on.” The 32-year-old product of Winnipeg represented Canada at the 2008 and 2012 World Hockey Championships but will be making his Olympic debut in Sochi. He admits he did watch and celebrate the gold medal game four years ago, but it was done with a heavy heart and a half-ounce of jealousy.
That won’t be the case this time around, having earned his place among the world’s elite.
“I’ve been preparing for this my whole life,” Sharp said. “Ever since the last one in Vancouver, I’ve been extra motivated to make this a reality, to prove I was worthy.
“It’s a dream come true.”
Canada’s quest for gold begins on Thursday, Feb. 13 against Norway.
“I love our chances [to win gold],” Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews said. “To go over there with this group of guys, that team, the pressure to repeat, and to compare the experience to what it was like in Vancouver…. All that put together, it¹s going to be absolutely amazing.
“I’m really excited. It’s a great opportunity and it’s going to be an amazing trip.”
All of Canada¹s 110 athletes will be staying in one of three costal villages overlooking the Black Sea. The accommodations aren’t terribly impressive, with dorm-style single beds providing the comforts of their college days, but Toews isn’t concerned. In fact, the 25-year-old is generally bemused by the high-life horror stories.
Appropriately known as Captain Serious both in the room and around the hockey world, he has only one focus heading into the Games.
“We know we’re not staying at a Ritz Carlton, but that’s not what we’re there for,” Toews said. “People can go on and on about the negatives and the things that are noticeable, but big deal. We’re there for the experience, and I know it’s about to be an incredible one.
“We’re going to have fun, we’re going to enjoy it, we’re going to play some great hockey, and hopefully we’re going to come home with a gold medal.”
