WASHINGTON, January 2 (RIA Novosti) – Veteran players are often a boon to elite sports teams looking for leadership and experience. But USA Hockey may have overdone it when it accidentally told a Canadian pensioner he had been shortlisted for a roster spot at the Sochi Winter Olympics.
“I’m a 67-year-old Canadian in Vancouver, I’d be happy to play for you,” the man responded to the notification, Canadian sports broadcaster Gord Miller said on his Twitter feed.
Prior to announcing the official USA Hockey roster Wednesday, team officials informed players shortlisted for the final Sochi squad by text message that they would be contacted shortly about their possible selection, Miller said.
One of those messages was intended for Ryan Kesler, a US center for the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League.
But Kesler, who was ultimately tapped for the final roster for the Sochi Games set to kick off February 7, had changed his number and forgotten to inform the team, said Miller, a hockey commentator for The Sports Network.
Kesler’s old cellphone number, meanwhile, had apparently been taken over by the Vancouver senior citizen.
“I think Canada would be even happier if I player for you,” Miller quoted the man as telling Team USA officials.
The men’s ice hockey tournament is expected to be a centerpiece of the Sochi Games, which are set to run through February 23.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, for whom the Sochi Olympics are a matter of pride and prestige, has shown a public interest in ice hockey during his 13 years in power.
In 2011, he trained on the ice with Russian hockey legends at a Moscow arena.
