Calgary (AB), Canada – The start of the National Hockey League season might still be on hold but Canada’s fastest speed skiers showed they’re ready to face off against the best in the world when they took part in an exhibition shinny game Monday as the Canadian team for the Lake Louise Winterstart World Cup was unveiled at a hockey-style event in Calgary.
Nine men and three women will fly the flag for Canada when the first downhill and super G races of the 2012-13 Audi FIS Alpine Ski World Cup take place in Alberta over the next two weeks. The men get things underway this weekend before the ladies do battle from Nov. 30 to Dec. 2.
Canada’s team, which was unveiled at the International Arena at Canada Olympic Park, features a veteran men’s squad that includes five Canadian Cowboys – the title given to the current generation of Canadian male skiers with top-three finishes at World Cup, world championship or Olympic races. The group comprises reigning world downhill champion Erik Guay, of Mont-Tremblant, Quebec, World Cup winner Jan Hudec, of Calgary, and rising star Ben Thomsen, of Invermere, British Columbia. They will be joined by two Cowboys returning from injury in the form of Calgary’s John Kucera – the 2009 world downhill champion – and three-time World Cup winner Manuel Osborne-Paradis.
As part of Monday’s team announcement, Osborne-Paradis captained a team of athletes, coaches and support staff as they took on an all-star squad in a game of shinny, an informal ice hockey game. The all-star team included Calgary Flames alumni Craig Conroy, Martin Gélinas and Joel Otto, as well as members of the University of Calgary Dinos women’s team and the Black Widows of the Southern Alberta Women’s Hockey Association.
“We only lost 4-2 so that’s not bad,” said Alpine Canada president Max Gartner. “I was looking at the skill level on the other team and I thought we might get crushed. We had some good young legs from Ben Thomsen and Manny skated around like an experienced hockey player. I was in the dressing room beforehand and I saw Joel Otto standing there and I thought, ‘Oh my.’ He definitely had the size to crush you – he was the most intimating guy. The ladies were very skilled as well.
“It was a great way for us to celebrate our love of two great Canadian sports – skiing and hockey. And after Lindsey Vonn was denied the chance to ski in Lake Louise, our guys also showed they are not afraid to take on top female athletes.”
“I think we held our own, with us playing at 100 per cent and them playing at like 60 per cent. Well, hopefully 60 per cent,” Osborne-Paradis joked.
Hudec and Guay – likely Canada’s biggest podium threats going into Lake Louise – both had minor knee issues in October but made swift recoveries and are feeling good heading into the first training run, which is scheduled for Wednesday.
“Lake Louise is a place where you’re a little bit anxious, a little bit excited, a little bit nervous. It’s the first race and you never know what to expect,” said Hudec, the top Canadian on the alpine World Cup circuit last season with a ranking of sixth in the world in super G and ninth in downhill. “It’s fun because it’s always that little surprise at the beginning of the year – learning how you stack up against the rest of the field.
“Lake Louise is always the best place to get my season going,” added Hudec, who overcame numerous injury issues last year to put together one of the best seasons of his career. “Just to have the home race advantage for the first race is perfect. It’s a great way to kick off the season and hopefully I’m going to start with a win.”
Guay got his first of 17 World Cup podiums in Lake Louise in 2003, but he hasn’t had one there since. He overcame a longtime back problem to put together a solid 2011-12 season and had high hopes going into this year before being slowed by knee troubles. As a result, he isn’t sure what to expect in Lake Louise but he’s just wrapped up a great week of training in Colorado and his knee has been feeling good.
“It’s a lot of fun to start the season in Lake Louise with a home crowd,” said Guay, who is chasing Crazy Canuck Steve Podborski’s Canadian record of 20 World Cup podiums. “It’s always a great venue for us.”
For Kucera, who has endured a long road back to health since fracturing his leg in Lake Louise in 2009, this year is all about staying healthy and getting used to racing again. He was poised to make his return from injury last season before he was slowed by a back problem.
“Things have been going really well. We had an awesome summer prep – both in the gym and on snow,” said Kucera, who recently signed a new sponsorship deal with one of Alpine Canada’s partners, Canadian Pacific. “The body seems to be holding up and everything feels good. Things are looking up and I’m looking forward to Lake Louise.
“I don’t want to put any pressure on myself. For me, I just want to get through a healthy season and just build on wherever I start and get myself back to where I was before all this happened.”
Kucera’s memories of Lake Louise aren’t dominated by what happened in 2009. He grew up in the Calgary area and spent much of his youth racing there.
“For me, it’s the home race. It’s a great venue,” Kucera said. “It’s a mountain that I’ve had some bad experiences on but some good ones as well. I’ve been competing there since I was young. It’s a track I know super-well.”
Osborne-Paradis is also on the comeback trail, having not raced at the highest level since he injured his left knee and fractured his leg in Chamonix, France, in January 2011.
“I feel good. I’m eager to get back racing again,” Osborne-Paradis said. “It will be a grind from the back (due to his points total he will start towards the back of the field). It will probably take half a season to get back to where I was. My body’s 100 per cent right now. When I wake up in the morning I feel good and I can push myself on the ski hill. I just want to start skiing the way I can.”
There will be a lot of eyes on Thomsen, who became the newest member of the Canadian Cowboys after he finished second at the Olympic test event in Sochi, Russia, last season.
“It’s been a really busy summer and I’m excited for the season. I want to start where I was finishing last year – with top-10 results,” Thomsen said. “That will be a bit of a stretch going into Lake Louise and Beaver Creek (Nov. 30 and Dec. 1) races where I’ve never been in the top 30. But I’m striving for those top-10 results and to be the top Canadian and I know (my teammates) are pushing hard, too. We’ve got a great group and I’m excited.”
Robbie Dixon, of Whistler, British Columbia, has been agonizingly close to becoming a Cowboy on several occasions, but he fractured his leg in Colorado last week and won’t compete in Lake Louise. In his absence, three young guns will wear Canada’s colors in the form of Dustin Cook, of Lac-Sainte-Marie, Quebec – who secured his first top 30 at the World Cup level at the season-opener in Soelden, Austria, last month – and the Whistler-based Pridy brothers Conrad and Morgan. Jeffrey Frisch, of Mont-Tremblant, Quebec, an experienced racer who has battled back from injury, will compete under Canada’s colors as an independent.
“Jan and Erik are normally guys we would expect to challenge for the podium,” said Pete Bosinger, head coach of the men’s alpine team. “We’ve got some younger guys we would like to see ski into the top 30. And we’ve got a couple of guys like Manny (Osborne-Paradis)_ and John starting late in the field. If they can ski into the top 30 that would be a great day.”
In the women’s races, which take place next weekend, Larisa Yurkiw, of Owen Sound, Ontario, will carry Canada’s hopes in the downhill. Veteran Kelly VanderBeek, of Kitchener, Ontario, has made progress as she returns from a long-term knee injury but isn’t ready to race in Lake Louise.
“It’s so nice and refreshing to have a clean slate this year,” said Yurkiw, who also made her return from a long-term injury last season. “I feel like I’ve created some good momentum this summer and I’m really excited for Lake Louise.
“I’ve missed it – I haven’t been here since 2009. My mom’s coming out for it. She’s a pretty good spectator – she’s going to be really loud. It’s huge to have her there.”
Marie-Michèle Gagnon, of Lac-Etchemin, Quebec, may compete in the downhill but her focus will be the super G in which Marie-Pier Préfontaine, of Saint-Sauveur, Quebec, will also be hoping for a strong result.
“In downhill we want World Cup points. We just need to get on the board (with a top 30 result),” said Hugues Ansermoz, head coach of Canada’s women’s team. “In super G, top 20 is our goal.
“For Larisa, physically there are absolutely no issues. All summer long she was able to train as hard as everyone else. The biggest thing for her is that she’s the leader now. Before her injury we had Britt Janyk, Emily Brydon, Kelly VanderBeek. She was always the young one at the back, in the shadows. She was never under pressure. Now she’s older she’s a leader and she needs to perform.”
Men’s team for Lake Louise Winterstart World Cup
| Name | Age | Hometown |
| Dustin Cook | 23 | Lac-Sainte Marie, Que. |
| Erik Guay | 31 | Mont-Tremblant, Que. |
| Jan Hudec | 31 | Calgary, Alta. |
| John Kucera | 28 | Calgary, Alta. |
| Manuel Osborne-Paradis | 28 | Vancouver, B.C. |
| Conrad Pridy | 24 | Whistler, B.C. |
| Morgan Pridy | 22 | Whistler, B.C. |
| Ben Thomsen | 25 | Invermere, B.C. |
Women’s team for Lake Louise Winterstart World Cup
| Name | Age | Hometown |
| Marie-Michèle Gagnon | 23 | Lac-Etchemin, Que. |
| Marie-Pier Préfontaine | 24 | Saint-Sauveur, Que. |
| Larisa Yurkiw | 24 | Owen Sound, Ont. |
Schedule
- Wednesday, Nov. 21: Men’s downhill training (11:30 a.m.)
- Thursday, Nov. 22: Men’s downhill training (11:30 a.m.)
- Friday, Nov. 23: Men’s downhill training (11:30 a.m.)
- Saturday, Nov. 24: Men’s downhill (11:30 a.m.)
- Sunday, Nov. 25: Men’s super G (11 a.m.)
- Tuesday, Nov. 27: Women’s downhill training (12:30 p.m.)
- Wednesday, Nov. 28: Women’s downhill training (12:30 p.m.)
- Thursday, Nov. 29: Women’s downhill training (12:30 p.m.)
- Friday, Nov. 30: Women’s downhill (12:30 p.m.)
- Saturday, Dec. 1: Women’s downhill (12:30 p.m.)
- Sunday, Dec. 2: Women’s super G (11 a.m.)
*All times Mountain