Patrice Cormier Elbows His Silver Medal Frusturation Out the Door

After captaining team Canada to a silver medal at the recent World Junior Hockey Championships, Patrice Cormier says he has finally got rid of all the frusturation he was feeling over the disappointing loss. In a game Saturday night between Cormier’s Rouyn-Noranda Huskies and the Quebec Remparts, Cormier caused a scary scene when he hit Remparts defenceman Mikael Tam with an elbow to the head knocking the 18 year old unconcious. Tam quicky began to have convulsions on the ice and had to quickly be removed from the ice surface and rushed to the hospital. ”I’m sorry that he got hurt but I feel that I’ve been dealing with a lot of pent up frusturation and emotion ever since we lost to the U.S. in the gold medal game. I needed to just lay somebody out and now that I have I think I can start to relax and play some good clean hockey,” said Cormier after the game. Cormier attributes his actions to the pressure that was on the Canadian team and especially on himself being the captain. ”I don’t think people understand just how much pressure is put on your shoulders when you are named captain. When you are the captain of Canada you are pretty much in charge of an entire country and when we didn’t win the gold I felt like I had let down an entire country. It was hovering around me every single day and every single game and if I didn’t get it out of me it probably would have killed me. Of course I feel bad that I had to knock that kid unconscious, cause him to have a seizure, give him brain trauma and probably ruin his hockey career, but I’m sorry, I just really really needed to let some steam off.”

For those of you who haven’t seen the hit, here it is. I think its clear to anyone who watches the video just how different Patrice Cormier is before and after the hit. Prior to the hit Cormier is clearly a young man who is dealing with a lot of personal anguish, but after the hit you can see that the weight of the world has been lifted off his shoulders and a life that seemed so difficult just seconds ago, now seems to have a more fresh and positive outlook.

Cormier’s junior career is now very much in jeopardy as many believe that he should never be allowed to play in the QJMHL ever again, but the 19 year old maintains that his new sense of hope will help him be a better player the rest of the season. “I can’t tell you how free I feel right now. Everything just seems so crystal clear right now. I know its a tired old cliche but I truly feel that I have seen the light at the end of the tunnel. It was nothing but darkness when we lost the gold medal game but ever since I crushed that kids skull, brains, and any future in hockey, its nothing but blue skies, green grass, birds chirping and a warm sun. It’s perfection.”