Because of the nature of sports played here, there were 48 Island athletes at the 2012 London Summer Olympics while the potential representation for the 2014 Sochi Winter Games rests solely with Jamie Benn.
Even if the Dallas Stars forward surprisingly didn鈥檛 receive an invitation to the 47-player Canadian men鈥檚 hockey team summer orientation camp, it鈥檚 not over, vowed the Peninsula Minor Hockey product from Central Saanich.
Spots will be left open until at least December or January, and Benn plans on making a statement to the selectors that they were wrong to snub him for the summer camp.
The reason he was left off the list? 鈥淚鈥檓 not sure why,鈥� Benn said during a break Wednesday at the UVic Ian Stewart Complex, as he helped out at the Ryan O鈥橞yrne youth hockey camp.
鈥淚t鈥檚 obviously their decision. But it鈥檚 given me the fire for the start of the [NHL] season. I want to be on that Olympic team. I鈥檓 going to have to go out in the first half of the season and make them want to pick me. I鈥檓 just going to have to have the best first half of the year I can have and make an impact for the Dallas Stars.鈥�
International sport is important to Benn. More than that, it runs in the family. Benn won a gold medal at the 2009 world junior hockey championships and represented sa国际传媒 in the 2012 IIHF world championships. Dad Randy Benn won gold medals in softball at the 1976 world championships in New Zealand and 1979 Pan American Games in Puerto Rico.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a totally different experience [than in club play] when you put on a national team jersey,鈥� Benn said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a pretty special feeling to be representing your country.鈥�
Benn has a couple of things going for him in his bid to get to Sochi. The Stars鈥� new head coach, Lindy Ruff, is a Canadian Olympic team assistant coach and will have a close-up view of Benn鈥檚 play. And now the contract distractions are behind Benn as the 24-year-old emerging power forward can focus totally on the ice after inking a five-year $26.25 million US deal in January.
Focusing on the ice meant a whole other thing Wednesday, however, as Benn imparted instruction to the young players in the summer kids camp of fellow Island NHLer O鈥橞yrne.
鈥淢y main message to these children is to have fun playing hockey,鈥� Benn said.
鈥淭here鈥檚 no need to put pressure on kids.鈥�
Several NHLers from the Island and others 鈥� including O鈥橞yrne, Benn, Tyson Barrie, Matt Irwin, Manny Malhotra, Paul Bissonnette and Boyd Gordon 鈥� are taking part in O鈥橞yrne鈥檚 annual camp for kids, which began Monday and runs through Friday.
The camp last year raised $25,000 for KidSport Victoria and is expected to surpass that amount this year when the 2013 total is announced today at 6 p.m. at Kirby鈥檚 Source for Sports, where items such as a Phil Kessel jersey and two tickets to the 2014 sa国际传媒 Place Stadium game between the Canucks and Senators will be raffled off.
