TORONTO, ONT.: Olympic silver medalist Blayre Turnbull said representing Canada on the world stage is always special, but the support she receives from back home in Nova Scotia continues to mean just as much.
The Stellarton native, who won silver with the Canada women’s national hockey team at the Winter Olympics in Milan, said the experience was unforgettable despite falling just short of the team’s goal of gold.
“It was awesome,” said Turnbull in an interview with The Laker News on Wednesday.
“It was a different experience compared to my last two, but it was great to be held in a city like Milan where there’s so much going on and so many people there supporting you.”
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While Canada narrowly missed its goal of winning gold, Turnbull said the team left proud of how it performed.
“Obviously we came up short of our goal of winning a gold medal but thinking back to that game and how we showed up to play, I think we’re all very proud of the performance we came out with,” she said.
Turnbull currently plays professionally in the Professional Women’s Hockey League with the Toronto Sceptres, where she shares the ice with some of the game’s biggest stars, including fellow Canadian standout Marie-Philip Poulin, often nicknamed “Captain Clutch.”
Turnbull said being teammates with Poulin is something she never takes for granted.
“She’s the best player there is, so to be on her team is amazing,” she said. “And then obviously last night we had to play against her, and I think she scored three in the shootout.
“It’s more fun to be on her team, that’s for sure.”
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Off the ice, Turnbull is also part of Sobeys’ Team Sobeys program through its Feed the Dream campaign, which helps support Canadian athletes on their Olympic journey.
Turnbull said the partnership has grown since it first began in 2018 and has allowed her to highlight the key role family and community support have played in her career.
“It’s been amazing to be connected with Sobeys,” she said.
“This season especially felt really special with the Feed the Dream partnership being focused on family and community and all the things it took for me to get to where I am.”
She said that community support continues to be something she feels strongly, no matter where hockey takes her.
“I’ve been all around the world for hockey, but the one thing that hasn’t changed is how much support I feel from my community in Stellarton and from my family across Nova Scotia,” she said.
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Turnbull also recently received a unique honour from her professional team — her own bobblehead — something she admits she never imagined would happen.
“It’s pretty cool,” she said with a laugh. “You see them at NHL games or in sports stores, but you never really think you’ll have your own bobblehead.
“I know the fans loved it, and I’ve had a lot of people from home asking how they can get one.”
She said moments like that, along with the continued growth of women’s hockey, show how far the sport has come.
“It’s been amazing to see how many people feel inspired by women’s hockey,” Turnbull said.
“We feel really proud to represent our country, and I definitely feel really proud to represent Nova Scotia.”