With only days left before the start of the Beijing Winter Olympics, athletes are ready and willing to take part in the second Games of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The opening ceremonies take place this Friday in China.
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Canadian athletes are on the ground, and among them are four Nova Scotians – three of whom will hit the ice in hockey.
Jill Saulnier of Halifax and Blayre Turnbull of Stellarton are up for the second consecutive Olympics in the Canadian women’s hockey team.
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The two took part in the 2018 Games in PyeongChang, South Korea. Not only were they the first Nova Scotians ever named in that team, but they were also the only athletes from the province to go to the Olympics that year.
Team Canada eventually took home silver at those Games.
Saulnier (29) and Turnbull (28) were both in the national women’s team that won bronze and gold in 2021 in 2019.
Saulnier is currently with the Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association team based in Montreal. Turnbull also joined the Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association, trained with the Calgary-based team, and participated in the Dream Gap Tours in 2020 and 2021.
Behind the bench, this year’s women’s team in Beijing also includes two Nova Scotians. Troy Ryan is the team’s head coach, and Kori Cheverie takes on the role of assistant coach.
On the men’s side, Antigonish’s Alex Grant will also play hockey for Team Canada.
Grant is a former captain of the Saint John Sea Dogs and fourth-round pick of the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2007. The 33-year-old defender currently plays with the Helsinki-based Joker in the Continental Hockey League (KHL).
Liam Moffatt of Truro also takes part in snowboard cross. According to his biography on the Canadian team’s website, the 24-year-old fell in love with snowboarding at the age of seven and was awarded the Neil Daffern Award for Excellence by Canada Snowboard in 2020.
Jessica Wong, who is originally from Baddeck, is also taking part in the Olympics. She is part of Team China’s women’s hockey team.
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