Before a 5-0 blowout victory over Czechia, the Team Canada men’s ice hockey team made a bold change that sparked some buzz.
The Canadians spent the first few nights of the Winter Games in the Olympic Village. But, leading into their matchup with the Czechs, Team Canada departed the village, where Olympians reside during the games, trading up for an Ice Palazzo, or Ice Palace, a cushy five-star hotel with all the amenities one could ask for.
Sportsnet first reported the news.
The facility is quite astounding, as The Score reposted a video that takes you through the Canadians’ new digs, which include a rec room, an expansive dining area, a temporary on-ice training area and more.
“I don’t think we’re doing it as an insult or anything like that,” Canadian goaltender Logan Thompson said Monday morning, via Sportsnet. “We want to win gold, and we want to give ourselves the best opportunity to do so.”
With that said, some members of the team plan to split their time between the Ice Palazzo and Olympic Village, where camaraderie is built with athletes from across different sports and across the world.
“I’m still gonna be going to the village as well, going back and forth,” added Thompson. “You definitely want that experience. And it’s cool to meet other athletes, and I want to be able to do that as well as see other Olympic events.”
The move out of the village is not as out of the ordinary as one may think. According to the New York Post, the team’s general manager Doug Armstrong noted that, during the 2010 games in Vancouver and the 2014 games in Sochi, the men’s team also chose not to stay in the village.
On the other hand, the Team USA men’s team elected to stay with the other athletes despite being given the option to join the Canadian team and move elsewhere.
“It’s a really cool experience,” said USA forward Jack Eichel, per Sportsnet. “It brings me back to what it’s like in college. You got a roommate who’s two feet away from you in the same room, and you’re in a small little dorm, but I think it just brings the guys together.”
The Canadians’ move has already paid dividends, as they sit at 1-0 to begin their Olympic trek. The USA men will have their chance to join their northern rival in the win column when they meet Latvia on Thursday afternoon.
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