Both Nova Scotians competing at the Olympics are on the Canadian women’s hockey team

By Meghan Groff

Expect Nova Scotians to be glued to their television sets when the Canadian women's hockey team plays at the Olympics.

Halifax's Jill Saulnier and Stellarton's Blayre Turnbull will be representing the province in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

Ken Bagnell, president of the Canadian Sports Centre Atlantic, told NEWS 95.7's The Rick Howe Show it will be exciting to watch these two athletes at the height of their hockey careers.

“To have two Nova Scotian trained and born athletes on that team is just amazing,” he said. “Both Blayre and Jill have been fixtures here for the last four years during their summer training.”

The two are the first Nova Scotians to be named to the Canadian Olympic women's hockey team. They are also the only Nova Scotian athletes competing at the Games.

“Every previous Olympic Games that snowboard has been an official sport, we have actually had a Nova Scotian there,” said Bagnell. “While we have some good ones in the pipeline, unfortunately none of them cracked the roster of this team.”

If NHLers were allowed to play, there would also be some Nova Scotians on that team. There's no doubt men's hockey is one of the favourite sports for Canadians to watch every four years, and even though we won't get to see Sidney Crosby go for gold, Bagnell thinks many will still tune in.

“Through the course of the Games, the stories regarding the men's hockey team will grow and the interest level will grow with their performance,” he said. “They are a group of what some people would perceive as no names, and watching the underdog, I think Canadians like that.”

He said the time change will likely be a challenge, but with Canada projected to win between 28 and 33 medals, he thinks the building momentum will draw in fans.

Opening ceremonies start at 7 a.m. on Friday.

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