Kevin Elliott has the international gold medal that has eluded him.
The Charlottetown Islanders’ athletic therapist was part of Team Canada’s perfect run at the world hockey championship in the Czech Republic. It was his first gold medal in seven events with Hockey Canada. He also has two silvers from the world junior championship and a bronze from the under-18 tournament.
“It’s very rewarding, sitting here looking at my gold medal,” Elliott said Monday from the Halifax Stanfield International Airport, while waiting for his final flight home. “I wouldn’t put it in my suitcase. I said, ‘I’m not losing this.’”
Elliott stood on the blue-line after gold medal games in 2010 and 2011, watching Americans and Russians celebrate their world junior victories. One came in overtime and the other after Canada held a 3-0 lead heading to the third period.
This tournament would have a much different ending.
Canada completed its 10-0 tournament with a 6-1 victory Sunday over the Russians.
Canada took a 1-0 lead into the first intermission, scored two minutes into the second period and twice more in the next six minutes to take a commanding 4-0 lead midway through the contest.
“The last minute, when it got into time ticking off (the clock), is when it really started to sink in a little bit on the bench,” Elliott explained. “I’ll tell you one thing, I’ll never forget this event and hopefully it’s not the last one I do.”
It was a three-work journey that started on April 23 when Hockey Canada’s vice-president Scott Salmond called Elliott to see if he was available. The call came a week after the Islanders had been eliminated from the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League playoffs.
Canada was a deep and talented collection of NHL stars, including the likes of Sidney Crosby, Claude Giroux, Brent Burns and Mike Smith. The coaching staff and management group are also household hockey names.
The roster also included players like Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle, Brayden Schenn and Martin Jones, who were on other Canadian teams Elliott was a part of.
“These guys are professionals. They know how to win,” Elliott said.
“There are a lot of gold medals in that room. There’s a lot of talent. There are a lot of NHL games played. There’s a lot of guys that have been in some pressure situations, some Stanley Cup champions.”
Elliott said Hockey Canada provided the team with everything it needed to be successful. He worked with head therapist Rob Milette from the Winnipeg Jets and equipment managers Robin McDonald from Hockey Canada and Brian Papineau from the Toronto Maple Leafs.
While in the Czech Republic, Elliott also had the opportunity to talk with former P.E.I. Rocket players Adam Polasek, Andrej Nestrasil, Tomas Pavelka and Matej Beran.
Kevin Elliott
Who – A Saint John, N.B., native and Charlottetown resident who works for the Charlottetown Islanders as its athletic therapist.
The latest – Was part of Canada’s gold-medal winning team at the world hockey championships.
Quote – “It’s always a great experience to represent your country and it's always a great experience to work with the people involved with Hockey Canada.”
Previous experience – Elliott has been to three world junior championships, an under-18 tournament, a Spengler Cup and was a mentor at the under-17 challenge.
Kevin Elliott has the international gold medal that has eluded him.
The Charlottetown Islanders’ athletic therapist was part of Team Canada’s perfect run at the world hockey championship in the Czech Republic. It was his first gold medal in seven events with Hockey Canada. He also has two silvers from the world junior championship and a bronze from the under-18 tournament.
“It’s very rewarding, sitting here looking at my gold medal,” Elliott said Monday from the Halifax Stanfield International Airport, while waiting for his final flight home. “I wouldn’t put it in my suitcase. I said, ‘I’m not losing this.’”
Elliott stood on the blue-line after gold medal games in 2010 and 2011, watching Americans and Russians celebrate their world junior victories. One came in overtime and the other after Canada held a 3-0 lead heading to the third period.
This tournament would have a much different ending.
Canada completed its 10-0 tournament with a 6-1 victory Sunday over the Russians.
Canada took a 1-0 lead into the first intermission, scored two minutes into the second period and twice more in the next six minutes to take a commanding 4-0 lead midway through the contest.
“The last minute, when it got into time ticking off (the clock), is when it really started to sink in a little bit on the bench,” Elliott explained. “I’ll tell you one thing, I’ll never forget this event and hopefully it’s not the last one I do.”
It was a three-work journey that started on April 23 when Hockey Canada’s vice-president Scott Salmond called Elliott to see if he was available. The call came a week after the Islanders had been eliminated from the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League playoffs.
Canada was a deep and talented collection of NHL stars, including the likes of Sidney Crosby, Claude Giroux, Brent Burns and Mike Smith. The coaching staff and management group are also household hockey names.
The roster also included players like Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle, Brayden Schenn and Martin Jones, who were on other Canadian teams Elliott was a part of.
“These guys are professionals. They know how to win,” Elliott said.
“There are a lot of gold medals in that room. There’s a lot of talent. There are a lot of NHL games played. There’s a lot of guys that have been in some pressure situations, some Stanley Cup champions.”
Elliott said Hockey Canada provided the team with everything it needed to be successful. He worked with head therapist Rob Milette from the Winnipeg Jets and equipment managers Robin McDonald from Hockey Canada and Brian Papineau from the Toronto Maple Leafs.
While in the Czech Republic, Elliott also had the opportunity to talk with former P.E.I. Rocket players Adam Polasek, Andrej Nestrasil, Tomas Pavelka and Matej Beran.
Kevin Elliott
Who – A Saint John, N.B., native and Charlottetown resident who works for the Charlottetown Islanders as its athletic therapist.
The latest – Was part of Canada’s gold-medal winning team at the world hockey championships.
Quote – “It’s always a great experience to represent your country and it's always a great experience to work with the people involved with Hockey Canada.”
Previous experience – Elliott has been to three world junior championships, an under-18 tournament, a Spengler Cup and was a mentor at the under-17 challenge.