Men’s hockey team named for 2024 Winter Youth Olympic Games

Four years in the past was a second Mat Robinson will always remember.

As his spouse, daughter, household and associates cheered him on within the stands, he
captured an Olympic bronze medal with Canada’s Men’s Olympic Team on the
2018 Games in PyeongChang.

With 9 years {of professional} hockey underneath his belt, you’ll have
anticipated the then-31-year-old to make a profession choice after the Olympics.
But Robinson had no plans of slowing down.

“I still felt like I had quite a bit of hockey left in me,” he says. “I used to be
taking part in for CSKA Moscow within the KHL, and I used to be on a really, superb crew.
For me, I simply wished to maintain taking part in there and luxuriate in my time there.”

Robinson was motivated by the chance to win a championship together with his
crew—a objective he achieved in 2019 when CSKA Moscow gained the Gagarin
Cup—though the possibility to signify his nation once more on the Olympics
supplied him with a further enhance to maintain taking part in hockey.

“It definitely was in the back of my mind, I’m not going to lie,” the
defenceman says. “I at all times knew that this opportunity might probably be there.
You by no means know the place you’re going to be 4 years after an Olympics. I
knew I simply needed to take it in the future, one season at a time and hold taking part in
on the stage that may be leaving me ready to truly make this
crew.”

Becoming a two-time Olympian is one thing Robinson by no means might have
imagined. The Calgary, Alta., native was not drafted into the Western
Hockey League nor the National Hockey League.

He performed 4 seasons with the University of Alaska Anchorage, serving as
captain in his last season. After finishing his diploma, Robinson performed a
handful video games with the Las Vegas Wranglers of the ECHL and break up the
2009-10 season between the American Hockey League’s Binghamton Senators and
the ECHL’s Elmira Jackals.

“I didn’t have a great start to my career,” he says. “I simply type of felt
like there was nothing there for me. I didn’t need to be labeled as an
[ECHL] type of hockey participant, and I felt like that’s what was going to
occur.”

After one season in North America, Robinson regarded abroad to proceed his
dream of taking part in skilled hockey.

“I just felt the European game may be more for me,” he says. “At the tip of
the day, at that time in my profession, it’s extra simply considering, ‘OK, properly
perhaps I can go play a few years over there and see the way it goes.’ If
not, I get to reside in another country, reside on the opposite aspect of the
world.”

Robinson signed in Norway with Sparta Sarpsborg for one season, then moved
to the Swedish Hockey League and spent two seasons with Timrå IK. After
three years abroad on good groups, he achieved his objective of taking part in within the
KHL by signing with Dinamo Riga.

“I performed my first 12 months within the KHL and I didn’t actually know what to anticipate.
I acquired on a great crew with nice teammates that type of confirmed me the ropes
and confirmed me what it was all about. That’s when it simply began clicking.”

After signing with Dynamo Moscow for the 2014-15 season, Robinson discovered a
new stage of confidence inside his recreation.

“My first 12 months taking part in truly in Russia, that’s once I was like, ‘I can
do that, I may be among the finest gamers on this league,’” he says. “And I
simply tried to run with it.”

Since his first 12 months in Norway, Robinson has performed for six groups in three
leagues in 4 nations over 12 seasons. Throughout his total journey,
he’s had his largest supporters with him each step of the best way: his mother and father
Trevor and Cindy.

“They did everything for my hockey career, they’re my biggest fans,” he
says. “My dad teaching me as a younger child and exhibiting me every little thing—he nonetheless
to today is giving me recommendations on what to do.

“I owe them every little thing. They’ve made the most important sacrifice to get me to
the place I’m.”

Robinson’s hockey profession has additionally opened his mother and father to new life
experiences and reminiscences.

“Our son has deliberate a number of the finest holidays to his hockey adventures for
us,” Trevor says. “He performed in Norway; we had been there. He performed in Sweden;
we had been there. Latvia, we had been there. We’ve been to Moscow, locations I might
have by no means gone had it not been for his journey.”

“We’ve travelled to so many various locations to be with him and share his
expertise in that nation that he’s at, at the moment,” Cindy provides. “To see
him progress and attain to the highest restrict that he’s at, it’s phenomenal.”

Although they could be an ocean aside more often than not, Robinson has at all times
stayed related to his household again residence in Canada.

“It’s amazing what we can do now considering when he first went to Alaska,”
Cindy says. “When he was going to school, it was so laborious to maintain
related, however now it’s really easy and it’s so good. It’s like he’s right here at
residence however he’s not.”

One of Trevor and Cindy’s favorite reminiscences from Robinson’s hockey profession
was having the ability to cheer him on in particular person as he gained bronze in PyeongChang.
Although they gained’t be in-person to assist him this time in Beijing, the
household is able to cheer him on again at residence.

“To have an opportunity to return once more, as Mat stated himself, he has an opportunity to
get that gold,” Trevor says. “We’re so happy with him. To see the place he’s gone
by way of his ventures and to be a two-time Olympian is superb to us.
[We’re] hoping he will get the chance to do one thing nice on the ice and
convey residence a gold for Canada.”

Looking again, Robinson by no means might have imagined he’d be in Beijing at the moment
for his second alternative to signify his nation on the Olympics.

“It’s another dream come true for me,” he says. “Not in one million years
would I’ve ever anticipated to play 13 seasons {of professional} hockey, and
now to be a two-time Olympian is simply full icing on the cake for me.”

He won’t have taken what many contemplate to be a standard route within the
recreation, however his objective is to encourage different younger gamers going by way of the identical
factor to by no means hand over on their desires.

“I’ve had guys attain out to me and say they’ve checked out my profession path and
need to do the identical factor. It’s good to see that I’m in a position to assist out different
guys which have perhaps not had all of the accolades of going straight to the
NHL.”

As for his future in hockey after Beijing, Robinson nonetheless has the door large
open to alternatives.

“Even though I’m 35 now, I still feel like I got a lot of hockey in me,” he
says. “I’m greater than excited to be right here and I’m glad that every little thing labored
out for me.”