With just a few hours to go until the official opening of the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, my thoughts turn to the athletes and their coaches who are in for an unforgettable experience. My memories of competing in seven Olympic Games are still so clear. I especially treasure those of the 2002 Games in Salt Lake City, when I was the head coach of the Canadian women’s hockey team. I was extremely fortunate to have had an extremely talented team and an outstanding captain, Hayley Wickenheiser. We came home with the gold medal.

Hayley will carry the Canadian flag for the opening ceremony of the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games. Although the announcement was made in late January, it was not until this week, just two days before the start of the Games, that Hayley met the press to talk about the incredible honour bestowed on her. She was beaming with pride, and drew laughter when she read out the text message that Sydney Crosby had sent her: “Wave it high and don’t trip!”

But what stood out for me is a remark she made about being grateful for having the chance, as flag-bearer, to shine the spotlight on women’s hockey. She also said that while Canada and the United States are far more successful in terms of performance, a few countries – Switzerland, Finland, Sweden, Russia, and even Japan – have taken on a more serious approach, recruiting top players, and building programs that are making them increasingly competitive. These countries are setting their sights on a new standard of excellence, having understood that only through hard work and effort is excellence achieved. In that respect, Hayley doesn’t worry about the future of women’s hockey, since it is growing, improving and getting stronger.

I am delighted that Hayley is taking the opportunity to champion the development of women’s hockey in the rest of the world. It bothers her, and rightly so, that the world pays attention to women’s hockey only for two weeks out of every four years. So we must plug away and continue to showcase our sport’s accomplishments, just like other elite athletes do. The Carabins women’s hockey team, organized in 2009, won their first Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) title in 2013. Coaching a team for the Olympic Games was an exhilarating experience. Leading the Carabins women’s hockey program is a genuine commitment. And it’s great to see that HEC Montréal, Polytechnique Montréal and Université de Montréal are keen to put performance sports on the agenda 365 days a year and well into the future, given that the Carabins athletics program is a priority for Campus Montréal.

By focusing on student-athletes, we encourage the pursuit of excellence and achievement. And that’s what our “Allez les Bleus!” rallying cry means. I am sure our shouts of support will reach Hayley and all our athletes in Sochi; they know we’ll be cheering for them at the top of our lungs to show them just how proud we are!

Danièle Sauvageau
Directrice générale du programme de hockey féminin des Carabins

Shown in photo: Danièle Sauvageau and the Carabins women’s hockey team after winning the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) championship.