- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,243,646
- Reaction score
- 59
Ottawa Senators winger Drake Batherson probably watches as much hockey as he plays, and he plays a lot. So, in most ways, he'll be like every other hockey fan in this country, transfixed on the Olympic gold medal game in Milan (8 am Eastern) between Canada and the U.S.
The big difference for Batherson? He has great friends in both locker rooms.
His Ottawa friends and teammates, Brady Tkachuk and Jake Sanderson, will be trying to help win America's first gold since the Miracle on Ice in 1980, when a team of mostly college players somehow took down the Soviet Union.
But Batherson will also breathe a sigh and a wish for his Nova Scotia friends and training partners, Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon, and Brad Marchand, who are after Olympic hockey glory again for Canada.
Even Batherson's birth certificate is split down the middle.
He's a dual Canadian-American citizen; his parents are Canadian, but he was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where his father, Norm, was playing minor pro at the time.
But (spoiler alert) while he loves his American Senators teammates, there's no question that Batherson's full allegiance will always lie with Canada. The 27-year-old has represented our country twice in his career, winning gold at the 2018 World Juniors and then silver at the 2022 World Hockey Championships.
"Yeah, it's a huge honour," Batherson told the media. "Anytime you get to represent your country, there's a lot of pressure that comes with it to win. But as a player, that's fun, especially in those short tournaments. So I can only imagine what they're feeling over there right now. I'm excited to even watch. So to play in that, I'm sure it's gonna be unreal."
Batherson has had some recent summertime opportunities to live vicariously through his Nova Scotia friends, enjoying Stanley Cup parties thrown by both MacKinnon and Marchand when they got their day with the Cup.
Brad Marchand hosts friends at his Stanley Cup party.
At the moment, Batherson is like the rest of Canada, wondering if Crosby will be healthy enough to play on Sunday or not. Crosby skated with Canada at practice on Saturday and will be a game-time decision. He missed the semifinal with a lower-body injury after getting squashed by Radko Gudas in the quarterfinals.
"Yeah, I mean, that'd be awesome to see him come back and play," Batherson told the media on Saturday. "Obviously, he's a huge part of that team. Everyone wants to see him back in that game. And so hopefully he's okay to go tomorrow morning. It'll be fun to watch him out there."
A year ago this week, Crosby and the Canadians won the 4 Nations Face-Off final over the Americans in overtime. It's hard to believe that such a new event could ever be compared to an Olympic gold medal game, but that's how good the 4 Nations event was.
"For sure, it feels similar to the Four Nations game last year, the finals. So it's gonna be a great game to watch, and we're fired up to watch it."
So on Sunday morning, like most Senators fans, he’ll be all in for Canada, even though he knows that two of his closest teammates would love to break our hearts.
Steve Warne
The Hockey News
This article is from The Hockey News' Ottawa Senators site. Read more at THN Ottawa at the links below:
Stone Defends Marner On Rep For Not Being Clutch: "I Think It’s A Toronto Thing'
Senators Call Up Carter Yakemchuk And Three Others From Belleville
Should The Senators Circle Back On AHL D Goals Leader Lassi Thomson?
20 Years Later: The Rise And Fall Of One Of The Greatest Teams In Senators History
Senators Can Further Boost Playoff Hopes By Upgrading One Position At Deadline
Continue reading...
The big difference for Batherson? He has great friends in both locker rooms.
His Ottawa friends and teammates, Brady Tkachuk and Jake Sanderson, will be trying to help win America's first gold since the Miracle on Ice in 1980, when a team of mostly college players somehow took down the Soviet Union.
But Batherson will also breathe a sigh and a wish for his Nova Scotia friends and training partners, Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon, and Brad Marchand, who are after Olympic hockey glory again for Canada.
Even Batherson's birth certificate is split down the middle.
He's a dual Canadian-American citizen; his parents are Canadian, but he was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where his father, Norm, was playing minor pro at the time.
But (spoiler alert) while he loves his American Senators teammates, there's no question that Batherson's full allegiance will always lie with Canada. The 27-year-old has represented our country twice in his career, winning gold at the 2018 World Juniors and then silver at the 2022 World Hockey Championships.
"Yeah, it's a huge honour," Batherson told the media. "Anytime you get to represent your country, there's a lot of pressure that comes with it to win. But as a player, that's fun, especially in those short tournaments. So I can only imagine what they're feeling over there right now. I'm excited to even watch. So to play in that, I'm sure it's gonna be unreal."
Batherson has had some recent summertime opportunities to live vicariously through his Nova Scotia friends, enjoying Stanley Cup parties thrown by both MacKinnon and Marchand when they got their day with the Cup.
You must be registered for see images attach
Brad Marchand hosts friends at his Stanley Cup party.
At the moment, Batherson is like the rest of Canada, wondering if Crosby will be healthy enough to play on Sunday or not. Crosby skated with Canada at practice on Saturday and will be a game-time decision. He missed the semifinal with a lower-body injury after getting squashed by Radko Gudas in the quarterfinals.
"Yeah, I mean, that'd be awesome to see him come back and play," Batherson told the media on Saturday. "Obviously, he's a huge part of that team. Everyone wants to see him back in that game. And so hopefully he's okay to go tomorrow morning. It'll be fun to watch him out there."
A year ago this week, Crosby and the Canadians won the 4 Nations Face-Off final over the Americans in overtime. It's hard to believe that such a new event could ever be compared to an Olympic gold medal game, but that's how good the 4 Nations event was.
"For sure, it feels similar to the Four Nations game last year, the finals. So it's gonna be a great game to watch, and we're fired up to watch it."
So on Sunday morning, like most Senators fans, he’ll be all in for Canada, even though he knows that two of his closest teammates would love to break our hearts.
Steve Warne
The Hockey News
This article is from The Hockey News' Ottawa Senators site. Read more at THN Ottawa at the links below:
Stone Defends Marner On Rep For Not Being Clutch: "I Think It’s A Toronto Thing'
Senators Call Up Carter Yakemchuk And Three Others From Belleville
Should The Senators Circle Back On AHL D Goals Leader Lassi Thomson?
20 Years Later: The Rise And Fall Of One Of The Greatest Teams In Senators History
Senators Can Further Boost Playoff Hopes By Upgrading One Position At Deadline
Continue reading...
