Marcel Dionne was a member of Canada’s Summit Series team, though just having turned 21 he didn’t see action. The sniper from Drummondville, Quebec, dazzled to be practicing with many of his heroes, would soon play plenty of international hockey, representing Canada in the 1976 and 1981 Canada Cup and three world championships.
“I hope it’s special for the kids who go to the Olympics,” Dionne said, picking Paul Henderson’s 1972 series-clinching goal in Moscow over Crosby’s 2010 “Golden Goal” in Vancouver for the greatest moment in Canadian international hockey history.
“From 1972 onward, we saw how dominant the Europeans could be — Jaromir Jagr, Alex Ovechkin, soon players from Sweden. The Olympics are different than what we experienced in 1972. That was much more political.”
Goalie Jose Theodore represented Canada in the world junior and world championships and was a member of his country’s 2004 World Cup of Hockey team. He still fondly remembers tugging on his first Canada jersey at age 14, during a training camp in Calgary.
Theodore views the Olympics, and any occasion to represent one’s country, as almost a life-changing experience for a player.
“I remember the first time that NHL players went to the Olympics in 1998 (Nagano, Japan), it was a big thing,” he said. “Every time you have a chance to see the best players in the world, it’s great. We saw what the 4 Nations Face-Off did; I didn’t expect something that big. Representing your country is a thrill for the players, a huge source of pride, and it’s a big treat for the fans.”
Top photo: Serge Savard at his 2025 invitational golf tournament at Le Mirage Golf Club in Terrebonne, Quebec.