Saskatoon's Emily Clark fulfils childhood dream of winning Olympic hockey gold

Emily Clark is coming home with Olympic gold.
 
The 26-year-old from Saskatoon helped Canada's women's hockey team beat the U.S. 3-2 in the final of the 2022 Beijing Winter Games. 

"I can't put words to it just yet, but 'incredible' if I had to pick one," Clark told Saskatoon Morning's Heather Morrison the following day. 

"The whole day, the whole game, felt like a dream. I've never felt that way in a championship game. It kind of felt like the stars aligned."

Clark said that early in the tournament, the team's mental skills coach told her to rock on her skates, and feel where her feet are, so she can stay in the moment. 

"I was doing a lot of rocking on my skates," Clark said. 

LISTEN | Emily Clark speaks about winning the gold:

Canada plays perfect through seven games

The road to the podium was a culmination of tireless and concentrated effort from the women's team.

At the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Games, they suffered a shootout loss in the final to the U.S. It was the first time since 1998, Canadian women went home without a gold medal. 

"I have a few photos from that day on the blue line with the silver medal, but the childhood dream was to get gold," Clark said. 

"I've kept a few of those photos close to me for motivation."

Despite COVID-19 challenges before and during the Beijing Olympics, the Canadian women's team remained dedicated to its commitment to win gold. 

Clark herself was sidelined for one game, after an inconclusive COVID-19 test following the masked contest against the Russian Olympic Committee. 

"I didn't want to miss a shift, let alone a game, especially for something that is out of your control," she said. 

"But I was confident with our medical staff ... thankfully it was a pretty short stint."

The team won all seven games in Beijing, outscoring opponents 57-10 along the way, including two victories over the Americans. 

Their 57 tournament goals surpassed the 44 of their 2010 predecessors as the most ever.

The Canadians' unrelenting offence carried them in the final, with an assist from goalie Ann-Renée Desbiens who made 38 saves in the gold-medal game.

The team's captain Marie-Philip Poulin scored twice — including her third career Olympic game-winning goal — while Sarah Nurse's goal and assist pushed her past Canadian great Hayley Wickenheiser for most points in a single tournament with 18.

When the gold-medal moment arrived, Clark said everyone from rookies to veterans basked in the culmination of their efforts. 

"No matter if all they know is winning a gold medal, or if they're in the group of us that knows what it's like to be on the other side ... the smiles are the same," she said. 

Born in 1995, Clark only saw Canadian excellence in women's hockey at Olympic games. And knowing how that affected her, she's keenly aware of the ripple effect gold-medal wins can have on the next generation of female hockey players. 

The more people see women's hockey on TV and live, the better it is for the sport, she said. 

"There's a demand for it and little girls and little boys deserve to see us play."

Clark said she's looking forward to celebrating with friends and family in Saskatoon when she gets back. 

The 2022 Winter Games end on Sunday. The 2022 Beijing Paralympic Games starting March 4.