Canada finishes fourth at 2024 Winter Youth Olympic Games

Markus and Liam Ruck are twins by and thru. Born eight minutes aside
on Feb. 21, 2008, the brothers have been inseparable on and off the ice ever
since.

From enjoying minor hockey within the small city of Osoyoos, B.C., to rising
by the ranks within the South Okanagan Minor Hockey Association, to being
drafted by the Medicine Hat Tigers within the first spherical of the 2023 Western
Hockey League (WHL) Prospects Draft, Markus and Liam have been by every
different’s aspect, stride by stride.

The Rucks are what the medical neighborhood categorizes as mirror equivalent
twins, which is when a pair twins possess reverse traits that mirror every
different. Markus is a playmaking left-handed centre, whereas Liam is the
goal-scoring right-handed winger. By definition, they complement one another
completely.

“We do everything together, on and off the ice,” Liam says. “We’re
aggressive off the ice, at all times making an attempt to beat one another, and on the ice,
we push one another, wish to make one another higher, and make our jobs simpler
on the market.”

“It’s been really special to have us together,” Markus provides. “It’s at all times a
little bit simpler to have my twin with me all through my entire life.”

Now, the brothers are making their worldwide debuts collectively on the

2024 Winter Youth Olympic Games

in Gangwon, South Korea.

“We’re going to go on the market and present what we will do on the worldwide
stage, as a workforce and as people and play the best way we play,” says Liam.

“We’re trying ahead to placing our names on the market, sporting that Canadian
jersey,” Markus provides. “The purpose is to seek out success with the workforce and are available
again with the gold.”

A household affair

Markus and Liam first hit the ice once they had been two years outdated on the
household’s yard rink after which at public skates. By the time they had been
4, they had been already making performs to one another in video games. With hockey
smarts to again their chemistry, their abilities had been shortly seen of their
hometown.

“They loved the game from a very young age,” says Jim Liebel, the twins’
coach from ages 4 to 12. “They had been dedicated to hockey, from taking pictures in
their front room to displaying as much as the rink. They had been comfortable spoken, however you
may inform they actually needed to be hockey gamers again then. The performs they
made, they only knew the place the opposite brother can be, and that connection
was simply so particular to see.”

Their connection has been evident for so long as they’ve been lacing up
their skates. In 2018, the pair had been members of the B.C. Junior Canucks at
The Brick Invitational in Edmonton. Liam completed with a team-leading seven
targets and co-led with 10 factors. Markus had 4 factors, together with two
assists, each of which got here on targets scored by Liam.

Skating with the U15 Prep workforce on the Okanagan Hockey Academy in Penticton,
B.C., final season, Liam led the Canadian Sport School Hockey League (CSSHL)
with 90 factors (53-37—90) in 27 video games, simply forward of Markus and his 87
factors (22-65—87). So it was no shock when Liam was chosen ninth
total within the WHL draft by the Medicine Hat Tigers, 12 spots earlier than the
Tigers traded as much as choose Markus.

“We love playing together,” Markus says. “We love our give-and go-plays, our
passes in between sticks and toes to create these two-on-one alternatives
on the ice in opposition to the defenders, however the small neighborhood right here [in Osoyoos]
provides us a lot of ice time and that assist is at all times there.”

“We support each other a lot out there,” Liam provides. “Markus makes my job as
a purpose scorer so much simpler when he units me up, so we positively get quite a lot of
good probabilities on the market collectively. Our dad and mom spend numerous hours
supporting us as properly, and the all-around assist from them and the
neighborhood, it makes our lives simpler to concentrate on hockey.”

It’s not solely on the ice the place the household connection is robust. Away from
the rink, hockey has turn out to be an exercise that has introduced the Ruck household
collectively on quite a few events.

From the aggressive mini-stick battles with their youthful brother Landon,
to household holidays scheduled round hockey, the game has introduced the entire
household collectively. It’s one thing that the brothers’ dad and mom, Nina and Derek,
are grateful for.

“We’ve got to go all over Canada and the United States as a family,” Nina
says. “We’ve had so many nice reminiscences with hockey and folks typically ask
if we even do household holidays, and I inform them ‘Of course,’ whether or not it’s to
The Brick match or to Montreal for Meltdown, its a few of the greatest
reminiscences of our lives thus far collectively.”

The Youth Olympics might be a proud second for household and associates, who will
be cheering them on from Osoyoos.

“Kids in Osoyoos look up to them as leaders,” Liebel says, enthusiastic about
how emotional will probably be to see the twins take the ice in Gangwon. “It’s a
small city right here and the youngsters see what Markus and Liam are doing on the ice
and their degree of dedication to hockey; they’re the proper forms of
folks for teenagers in the neighborhood to look as much as.”

International success runs within the household

When Markus and Liam hit the ice for Canada’s preliminary-round opener
in opposition to the host Koreans on Jan. 27, it gained’t be the primary time a member of
the Ruck household competes with the Maple Leaf on their chest. Their father
performed three years within the WHL with the Lethbridge Hurricanes (1998-2001)
earlier than successful the Allan Cup in 2007 as a member of the Powell River Regals,
a yr earlier than the twins had been born. The Regals had been invited to signify

Canada’s National Men’s Team

on the Belarus Cup and Derek skated in three video games for Canada.

And then there’s their second cousin,

Taylor Ruck. She is a four-time Olympic medallist (a silver and three bronze) within the
swimming pool, representing Canada on the 2016 and 2020 Summer Games, and
tied a Commonwealth Games file with eight medals (one gold, 5 silver,
two bronze) on the 2018 Games in Australia.

With all that success within the household, the twins hope to proceed to signify
the Ruck title with pleasure on the worldwide stage.

“We’ve both dreamed of putting on that jersey,” Liam says. “Plenty of
Canadian youngsters have that dream, and to have the chance to do this is
actually thrilling for us and the household.”

“Ever since watching the World Juniors and the Olympics, we at all times dreamed
to be of their positions and of their footwear,” Markus provides. “We have the
alternative now, it’s going to be unbelievable.”