Estevan residents had the chance to meet one of Canada's golden girls Saturday.
Three-time Olympic gold medal winning hockey player Jayna Hefford was in the Energy City for the grand re-opening of the Canadian Tire store on King Street. Hefford signed autographs and posed for photos with a number of fans who were eager to meet one of the top female hockey players in the world.
A member of the 2002, 2006 and 2010 women's Olympic teams, Hefford had 12 points in five games at the most recent Winter Games in Vancouver.
In an interview with The Mercury, the Trenton, Ontario native said since the Olympic tournament concluded with Canada's dominant 2-0 win over the United States, she has had the opportunity to get out and visit with a number of fans from across the country at events such as Saturdays.
"It's been really busy but it's been a lot of fun," said Hefford. "This year is kind of something special with how people got so excited about the Olympics and everybody watched so it has been fun to meet a lot of people and hear their stories about watching the games and how excited they were.
"This is the first time I think the entire country got into it and everyone you talk to watched it and it was great to see that passion and the patriotism come out."
Although she admits her life has been a blur since the Olympics ended in late February, Hefford said in the few moments she has had to reflect, she is filled with a sense of pride at the accomplishments of the team.
"Just the way we played as a team is something I look back on and I am so proud of our team and where we came from and how we were able to perform in the gold medal game," said Hefford who noted that playing in front of a home crowd made the experience even more special.
"It was amazing. It was everything we hoped it would be and it was bigger than we thought it would be. For us, as athletes, there is nothing better than playing in front of a sold out arena that is entirely Canadian."
Entering the tournament, Canada was pegged as co-favourites with the United States but bore the pressure that naturally comes with being the host country. They got off to an excellent start with an 18-1 win over Slovakia and carried that momentum into the gold medal game where they turned in their best performance of the competition.
Hefford said although they felt the weight of the country's expectations, they were able to get together as a team and used the pressure as extra motivation.
"We are always expected to win the gold, so that part wasn't the pressure part. I think the pressure was that there was going to be a lot of people watching and a lot of spotlight on us," she said.
"As a team we just got to the point where we realized that we just had to play. We felt so prepared and confident going into that gold medal game that we were able to just go out and play and we really played as best a gold medal game as I have ever been a part of. It wasn't an easy game, they threw a lot at us, but we played the perfect gold medal game."
With the win in Vancouver, Hefford became a member of a small and select group of people to win three Olympic gold medals. She could make that group even smaller by going for a fourth gold medal in 2014 when the games are held in Sochi, Russia but says she has not made a decision on her future just yet.
"It's too soon to say right now. I am going to play next year and see what happens after that."
