A few will stay in Florida to bask in the warm southern weather.
Others will scatter to their respective hometowns, or vacation in remote corners of the world.
And for some, their biggest life dreams will be realized, as they jump on the team flight back to Boston, repack and hop on another flight across the continent to the temporary hub of the international sports world, Vancouver.
Here in the United States, where the professional sports leagues and their athletes already are regarded as the world’s best, the Olympics arguably become a platform to showcase non-mainstream athletes in their Stanley Cup playoff-esque moments. Bode Miller, Shaun White, Apolo Ohno and Lindsey Vonn, just to name a few, become household names for these special two weeks.
But even for those pro athletes in the "mainstream" sports, it is a welcomed change of pace. Forgoing a real break for the Olympic break, the hockey players will work with different linemates, defensive partners, coaches, equipment managers and trainers. They will wear different jerseys to play in a one-and-done tournament.
The NHL players across the league have expressed pride over representing their countries, to perform on a world stage, to enjoy mixing in with the variety of the athletes, and to hit the ice with country mates.
For players like the Czech Republic’s David Krejci, the Olympics generate emotions separate from making it to the NHL. The upcoming experience conjures up childhood memories of national pride seeing the 1998 Czech Republic team take home the gold by defeating Canada in the semifinals in a shootout, and Russia in the finals.
“That was just crazy,” Krejci said, recalling streets flooded with citizens adoring their underdog gold medalists at Nagano. “People were rooting for them in Prague on the street, hundreds and hundreds of people. People were waiting for them to come back from Nagano, and once they came back, everyone was celebrating.”
Krejci remembers watching the Nagano Games as a 12-year-old and seeing everyone around him supporting the team.
“From that moment, I knew that my dream was always to play at least one shift for the national team,” Krejci said.
Already awestruck by the mere thought of being on an international stage highly regarded by his own nation, Krejci hopes he won’t be too starstruck when he meets the likes of Jaromir Jagr as not just an idol, but as a teammate.
“Two years ago, when I played World Championships, I kind of made a mistake,” Krejci said, remembering being more enthralled by being there than anything else. “I was just amazed by the players. Once I put the jersey on, I want to focus and do my job.”
Good luck to all of the Bruins representing their countries in the Olympics. We’ll be watching.
