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Tuesday, March 16, 1999
Satisfaction
And with that phrase uttered 25 seconds into the second period of the world championship final Sunday at Espoo, Finland, the Canadian women's hockey team captured their fifth straight title.
Canada beat their arch-rivals, the U.S., 3-1, and it was quite fitting that the two Calgary creators of the tournament-winning goal both touched down together in last night, proudly displaying their gold medals.
"They had everyone playing a little bit more defensively this time but, yes, I can still score every once in a while," smiled Goyette. "It was really nice, after everything that happened during the Olympics, to come back and win gold again.
"I was very relieved."
The Finland win marked the fourth world gold for Goyette, third for Wickenheiser.
"I wouldn't trade my four world championship golds for my silver Olympic medal," said Goyette. "The golds represent hockey consistency for years, not just success over a few months."
Wickenheiser hoped this win would finally turn the page on Team Canada's failure to capture Olympic gold last year.
"It's nice to come back and win after what happened to us in Nagano," said Wickenheiser. "We like to think this is one footprint on the three-year road to the next Olympic Games.
"It's a matter of starting over again, searching for that final piece of the puzzle.
"We'll never forget what happened at Nagano, but it felt really good to beat the U.S. again.
"We were nervous in the dressing room, but we went out and outplayed them."
And once again proved they're the best in the world.
The Canadian women have never lost a game at the world championships, sporting a perfect 25-0 record over five years.
"You know, someone mentioned that streak the other day, but I don't think anybody really thought about it," said Goyette. "But it's a good thing to try and keep going."
Keeping Goyette and Wickenheiser would be a good start towards next year's six-pack.