Meaghan Mikkelson still can’t believe she really is in select company as an Olympic gold medallist.
“You look at the medal every once in awhile and think to yourself, ‘Did that really happen? Did I really go through that? Did I really win this? Did I accomplish something that I really wanted to for so long?” Mikkelson told the Gazette Thursday after a Team Canada practice for the 4 Nations Cup. “It’s still just such an incredible feeling and I’m just so proud to be a Canadian.”
The post-Olympic experience for the St. Albert minor hockey product was overwhelming. It even garnered her a spot on a television commercial.
“It was a bit of a whirlwind, with a lot of requests to be at different events and for appearances. Everybody wanted to see the medal. It’s so exciting because the entire Olympics for Canada really brought the country together,” Mikkelson said.
“As a medal winner I feel it’s sort of your responsibility to share with the community what you’ve won and thank them for all their support along the way and that’s really what I tried to do after the Olympics. I got out as much as I could, showed as many people the medal as I could and shared my story.”
Mikkelson’s star shines the brightest in her hometown. She could probably run for mayor and win in a landslide.
“Everywhere I go I run into people that I haven’t seen for years. People recognize me if I’m out in public and before I didn’t have that at all,” said the first female to play rep hockey in St. Albert, with the 1997 atom AA provincial champion TD Lightning.
“Everywhere I go, everybody is saying great job or congratulations, but I always try to reiterate to them that I couldn’t have got to where I did without the support of the city of St. Albert and the St. Albert Minor Hockey Association for what they did for me. The support has been amazing and I couldn’t ask to be a part of a better city and a better community in that regard.”
Mikkelson’s first Olympics was too good to be true, as Canada’s darlings beat the United States 2-0 for gold in Vancouver.
“It will be a tough one to top, that’s for sure.”
The forward-turned-defenceman recorded two shots on net and was plus-one in the final. Overall in the tournament, she was plus-11 and averaged 17 minutes and 40 seconds of ice time per game to help Canada win its third consecutive gold medal.
“Because the Olympics were in our home country, fans and everybody in Canada really helped carry not only us as a team but the rest of the athletes as well,” Mikkelson said. “Sure there was some pressure, but I think we saw it more as support than anything else.”
The run-up to the 2014 Olympics started at the end of September with the selection camp for the 4 Nations Cup, which starts Tuesday in St. John’s and Clarenville, Nfld. Sixty-six players attended the tryouts in Calgary and the finalized 24-player line-up includes 14 returnees from the Olympic roster.
“That was the first time we were back on the ice with the national team and it was something I think we’ve all been really looking forward to,” Mikkelson said.
“We’re playing the U.S. in our first round robin game [Tuesday]. It’s pretty exciting, especially coming off the Olympics in Canada and to be playing in the 4 Nations tournament in Canada and first team for us to be playing is the team we defeated in the gold medal game.”
Mikkelson, 25, said the time off between the Olympics and the 4 Nationals Cup helped everybody recover from the grind leading up to the Vancouver Winter Games.
“It was nice to have a little bit of a post Olympics break because it was a pretty tough year for us. We played close to 60 games so the time off was much needed but it made for a long summer of training. It was nice to have that break but I definitely was anxious and eager for the camp in September and even more anxious and eager for this tournament. Once you get post-college these are the camps we really look forward to,” said the former bantam AAA Sabre, who contributed to Canada’s 20-10 record against midget AAA boys’ teams prior to the Olympics, including a 4-2 victory over the St. Albert Raiders in front of 2,300 spectators Jan. 10 at Performance Arena.
The 4 Nations Cup brings together the top four women’s hockey teams in the world, including Finland and Sweden.
“I’m just so excited to be back around all the girls and hopefully we have good week and a half,” said Mikkelson, a two-time NCAA championship winner with the University of Wisconsin Badgers.
The national team member since 2007 is trying not to look too far ahead towards the next Olympics, which will be staged in Sochi, Russia.
“It’s in the back of my mind. It’s the next Olympics and everybody keeps asking me if I’m going to play in 2014 and I really don’t know. I’m going to do my very best and do everything in my power but we pick a new team for every tournament every single year and there are a lot of really talented players coming up and they’re pushing for spots too. They want to be on that 2014 team,” she said.
“I’m a big believer too in sort of staying in the moment. I just have to take it one tournament at a time, one game at a time and one day at a time.”
All that matters right now is Canada repeating as the 4 Nations Cup champions.
“It’s important to win every tournament and to bring your best every time you step on the ice wearing the Canadian jersey and that’s what I want to do,” said Mikkelson, who attended St. Albert Catholic High School before completing her Grade 12 at Bishop Carroll in Calgary while playing for the Oval X-Treme.
