The bigger the opportunity, the easier it is to take it on and being able to represent your country and go overseas is no opportunity to hesitate over.ย
โAny time you get selected to represent a country, I think, no matter the sport, itโs a pretty big honour, no matter the level of competition either.โ
โRepresenting a country youโre proud of is something you donโt take lightly and knowing how competitive hockey is on our level, the U Sports level, it was a big honour. When I got asked, I love travelling, I had no hesitation in saying yes. Itโs something Iโll remember for the rest of my life.โ
Enter Danny Hanlon, a third-year forward for the Laurier Golden Hawks menโs hockey team.
Hanlon represented the bronze medal winning Team Canada for 2019 FISU Winter Universiade in Russia.
โItโs a tough scenario coming into it because itโs 22 guys whoโve for the most part, never played together, never met,โ Hanlon said.
โWe get there three days before our first game, in a foreign city, 12 hours ahead, a lot of obstacles in the way. We came together a few days before and rolled into the first game,โ Hanlon said.
Team Canada had no issues getting through as they went 4-1 in the preliminary round.ย
โIt was an experience that you become somebody bigger than your own sport, you become one for Canada.โ
Their only loss, which just so happened to cost them a chance to go further, was against Kazakhstan who they eventually went on to beat 3-0 for the bronze medal.
โWe met a tough Kazakhstan group that has played together for a while. We felt we put together a pretty good game,โ Hanlon stated.
As for himself, the Waterloo native finished the tournament with six points in seven games off the strength of four goals and two assists.ย
โPersonally, I thought I did pretty well considering playing with other elite players,โ Hanlon said.
โI can say more about how the team played and Iโm just happy I got to be a part of it,โ Hanlon said.
The bigger picture for Hanlon, however, did not have to do with that.ย
The experience as a whole was far bigger than just himself.
โThe biggest thing I could take away, just wearing the Team Canada jersey, it becomes so much bigger than hockey and especially with this event, it wasnโt just a hockey tournament, it was university students from all around the world competing at their own event,โ Hanlon said.
โIt was an experience that you become somebody bigger than your own sport, you become one for Canada.โ
โIt was just a really cool feeling and something I wonโt forget.โย
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