Prime Minister Stephen Harper today issued the following statement congratulating the Canadian Men’s Hockey Team, whose exceptional performance was rewarded with a gold medal at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games:
“On behalf of all Canadians, I would like to offer my sincere congratulations to our men’s Olympic hockey team on achieving the gold medal at the Sochi Winter Games. Today’s exciting victory by this exceptional group of players has demonstrated once again that hockey truly is Canada’s game. The passion and dedication shown by our team throughout this gruelling competition have inspired Canadians from coast to coast to coast, and have made us all extremely proud.
“I would also like to extend my congratulations to head coach Mike Babcock, assistant coaches Ken Hitchcock, Claude Julien and Lindy Ruff, as well as General Manager Steve Yzerman and his management team. This gold medal would not have been possible without the hard work of all the coaches, trainers, staff and volunteers at Hockey Canada who have brought this team together.”
This is the second consecutive gold medal and the 15th overall medal for Canada in men’s Olympic ice hockey. This is also the 9th gold medal for Canada in men’s ice hockey – more than any other nation in Olympic history ....