ASSINIBOIA - Jordan Weal cannot wait to get his shot at Olympic gold. He is excited for the challenges of competing at the national level, and noted that the excitement for the whole team is “growing more and more” every day.
The 29-year-old product of North Vancouver, B.C., was named to Team Canada for men’s hockey in the upcoming Winter Olympics in Beijing, China.
Hockey Canada had first gathered the team in Switzerland, for a chance for the players to get to know each other and prepare for the Olympics. The Assiniboia Times interviewed Weal from the camp in Switzerland on Friday morning.
“Having the opportunity to represent Canada is a once-in-a-lifetime thing, so we can’t wait to get out there and compete,” said Weal. “It is so cool to be around the guys, getting to know them, and just having a great time with them. Hockey Canada had a great plan to ensure that we could compete in Beijing, as we are out of the public and already in our own little bubble.”
“I am looking forward to the whole experience of being able to compete in the Olympics,” said Weal. “It might be a little different this time around, but I plan to just enjoy the experience, and make the most of my time here.”
“There are many great players on Team Canada, and we are all excited for the challenge ahead of us,” said Weal. He added that the expectations of fans for Team Canada to win gold are on the mind of the team.
“We have all handled similar expectations of us before, in our hockey career, so we just want to do our best. If we stick to playing our systems the best we can, we have a good shot at gold.”
Over his hockey career, Weal has had a chance to either meet the other members of Team Canada before, and noted that it is a little surreal that for some of them he has not seen since bantam, but is on the same team with those players again. “Throughout the years, I have been able to play with most of the other players on Team Canada, or have seen them on the ice. It is great to get time with them again, and get on the same page for the Olympics,” said Weal.
Part of his hockey career included competing with Regina Pats and in the NHL. This season, Weal is playing with Ak Bars Kazan of Russia’s KHL.
“It has been good to play in Russia so far. I had these expectations, which I thought things would be so different, yet one thing about hockey is it is the same, no matter where you travel. I have enjoyed my time playing in Russia,” said Weal.
Even knowing that he will see some of his Ak Bars Kazan teammates on Team Russia, Weal is prepared to face off against those players.
“One of the experiences I have gained from being traded a few times in my career, is having to face up against the team I was just traded from. So I sort of know what to expect when we face up against Team Russia,” he added.
Weal first found the love of the game at a young age, after his family moved from Assiniboia to North Vancouver, B.C. “I really consider hockey to be the lifeblood of the country. From road hockey, or ice hockey, we found a way to play the sport we loved.”
One special memory is of time spent with his father playing the game. “Sometimes it was going out to the ice at 6 a.m. in the morning. Other times he would be standing in the net in our driveway, with a baseball glove, ready to catch any pucks that I was shooting,” said Weal.
He remembers playing with the North Shore Winter Club and the Vancouver North West Giants (now North West Hawks). “It was such a great thing, to have the coaching and ice availability that we did when I was playing at that age.”
“I still go back to North Vancouver now and again, and get the chance to skate on the same ice I did when I was learning the game.
Weal has many family members in Assiniboia and gave a special shout out to “Grandma Rachel” for her support. His father Kelly and mother Shelley (Barnstable) are both Assiniboia Composite High School alumni. Kelly’s brothers Jay and Jeff farm near Assiniboia.
His aunt Tracy Richards has a family farm near Assiniboia. His aunt Jacquie Weal lives in Vancouver with her family.
