Alpine Skiing

John Kucera is obsessed with hockey - or more specifically - he is obsessed with the Calgary Flames.

How do I know this? I know this because when he asked me to pop by his room at The Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise to pick something up the other night, I caught him sitting alone on his bed wearing a Flames jersey watching his beloved Flam-bays defeat the Phoenix Coyotoes 2-1.

When I asked him why he wasn't out of his room doing something else - he told me he never misses a Flames game - if he can help it.

"I love my Flames Marsy," he told me with a huge smile.

"I gotta support my boys and it's hard to catch the games when we're off racing in Europe, so I take every chance I get to watch them," he said tugging on his jersey with pride.

Kucera, however, isn't the only racer on The Canadian Alpine Ski Team who is hockey crazed - they all are - athletes, coaches, trainers - every single member on the men's squad eats, sleeps and drinks our national obsession when they are not racing or training to be the fastest skiers in the world.

"We love hockey because it's our national sport, but we also love it because it's a great way to get in shape for our day jobs as ski racers," said Manuel Osborne-Paradis at a pick-up shinny hockey game the coaches had set up at an outdoor rink in Lake Louise, Alberta.

Robbie Dixon is also infected with the hockey bug and loves to play too - especially on the lake in front of The Chateau Lake Louise. Dixon says playing shinny at The Chateau was always a "bucket list" thing for him and he's happy he's had a chance to check it off his list.

"It's such a beautiful backdrop with the lake, the hotel, the mountains and the glacier, everything about it so amazing and cool. A couple of years back the lake was frozen and it was amazing to actually play here - hockey is fun and if you're Canadian you gotta play here," Dixon said.

On the topic of the Flames though - he wasn't so kind.

"As a Canadian you gotta love your hockey - but unfortunately I don't agree with Johnny and his Flames - in fact I despise them. I'm a Canucks fan because I'm from Van City, but also because it gives me a chance to hate on Johnny and diss the Flames by supporting my Canucks," said Dixon with a hearty chuckle.

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Canada's newest speed coach Johno McBride and Robbie Dixon take a breather during a line shift during an intra-squad game in Lake Louise

Michael Mastarciyan/CTVOlympics.ca

The hockey obsession is also big with Canada's coaching crew. Head men's speed coach Lionel Finance is well known as a massive Senators fan (his wife Magali just happens to be a ski instructor for Sens owner Eugene Melnyk's children). His assistants Marc Gagnon and Serge Dugas are even bigger hockey junkies and fans of the Habs. However, the team's newest coaching addition - namely Johno McBride - may be the most hockey obsessed of them all.

A tough as nails, no-nonsense Colorado rancher during the off season, McBride made a name for himself on the US Ski Team as a top-notch coach and mentor to Bode Miller - perhaps the greatest racer the United States has ever produced. McBride, whose father John was on the US National Hockey team just after they won the 1960 Olympic gold in Squaw Valley, California, may be new to the Canadian team, but he is no stranger to the skiers he is now coaching - and he is especially familiar with Erik Guay - who was the recipient of a 14-stitch cut on his chin from accidental high stick from McBride during a game in Wengen, Switzerland two year ago.

"How about feeling bad when you hurt an athlete just playing for fun - and you cut him up! I can't even remember what happened but I know it was my fault somehow. I'm not going to hurt him again - no need to worry about that," said McBride with smile adding that he was Canadian national now as far as hockey playing is concerned.

Guay, a die-hard Canadiens fan who admits he lives and dies with his Habs says McBride is the kind of player you hate to play against but love to have on your team.

"Johno was a great acquisition both as a ski coach and as a hockey player. He's a hard worker, a great guy and a really good, competitive hockey player. I'm looking forward to seeing him play against his old teammates on the American side when we play them. But he did a give me 14-stitch cut so at the same time I may have to rough him up a bit - even though he's on now on our team!" Guay said with a big laugh.

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Erik Guay in Wengen, Switzerland, sporting 14-stitches from a Johno McBride errant high stick.

Michael Mastarciyan/CTVOlympics.ca