Seoul mates: Olympics bring out Canada-Korea connections
Figure skating, hockey help pull distant countries together
I first attended the Olympics in 1988 in Seoul, and a trip back to South Korea for some scouting work ahead of the 2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang reminded me: in this faraway country, your connection to Canada goes a long way.
At no time was this more apparent than at the arrival of the Olympic flame to the gargantuan Incheon airport a few days ago. A bright, blue Korean Air Lines jumbo jet rolled up, having flown from Greece, the birthplace of the Olympics.
Out strode the elegant figure skating champion from the 2010 Games in Vancouver, Yuna Kim, who is considered a national treasure here.
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Before a throng of supporters, not to mention an armada of television cameras, the likes of which I have never before seen, she gently handed over the lantern which contained the light and with great ceremony ignited the torch and symbolic cauldron.
Afterwards, Kim proceeded to a waiting black limousine as the cameras followed like a pack of hungry dogs. There were to be no interviews, but I had come all this way and was well aware of her figure skating career, including the fact that she had spent much of her time training in Toronto under the guidance of Canadian coach and Olympic legend Brian Orser. I had spoken with her on several occasions. So I went for it.
"Yuna, how are you doing?" I blurted out as I pressed my way close to the front of the mob.
She turned, looked and flashed a brilliant smile of recognition while extending her hand in greeting. I'm convinced it was because it was someone from Canada who was asking.
"As a former Olympic athlete from Korea," she offered. "I am really honoured to be a part of bringing the Olympic flame back to my country."
And just like that, she was gone, off to her next appearance as the face of the Games in Korea.
Growing the game
The next day, out of the blue, I called Chisun "Jim" Paek.
Paek is a Stanley Cup champion with the Pittsburgh Penguins and the current head coach of the Korean national men's hockey team which, as host, will make its Olympic debut in Pyeongchang. He also runs the entire Korean ice hockey program and has the responsibility of growing the game for both men and women across the country.
"Hi Jim, I host the Olympic Games on CBC and used to work at Hockey Night in Canada and we were just hoping to get 10 minutes of your time," I said hopefully over the phone. "Happy to," Paek replied. "Come whenever you can. Great to see you're interested in Korean hockey."
The next morning at 10 a.m. I was at his office in the beautifully cared for Olympic Park, a living legacy of the Seoul Games of 1988. We then ventured outside, sat on a bench and chatted about hockey and the Olympics.
Paek was born in Seoul but his family moved to Canada when he was a one-year-old and he grew up playing hockey in Toronto. As a defenceman he nearly won the Memorial Cup as a junior star with the Oshawa Generals and went on to become the first Korean to play in the NHL. Paek hoisted the Stanley Cup twice with Pittsburgh in the early 1990s.
In 2014 he returned to South Korea to build the sport on the way to the home Olympics.
"Koreans are a very proud people," Paek said. "We have a very long history, but a very short history when it comes to the years of our independence. Still, we are very proud and it's a great honour to be allowed to represent your country, your place of birth, at the Olympics."
And what does this Canadian-raised coach believe can attract Korean fans to the sport of hockey in 2018 and beyond?
"It fits the Korean personality," he explained. "It's fast, it has great skill, it's physical.
"It's a fantastic sport and I think once they watch it they'll get hooked."
Ten minutes became an hour, maybe more. We reminisced about his hero, Bobby Orr, and the goal Paek scored in the final game of his first Stanley Cup triumph.
At the end he thanked us for taking the time to pay him a visit. That was, I thought, such a Canadian thing to do.
True colours
Driving back to the airport after a quick trip to the mountain venues at Alpensia, our driver, Mr. Kang, pointed to the trees, brilliantly lit by the late afternoon sunshine. The blanket of early morning snow, the first of the season, had given way to the lingering warmth of November.
"The Korean sky is big and beautiful in the autumn," he smiled.
I looked out the window of the van and took in the bright oranges, greens and blues of the landscape. It could just as easily have been Alberta, Quebec, Nova Scotia or Northern Ontario — it was all so familiar.
The people here are friendly and welcoming and, although few speak the same language, they appear to be a lot like us. There is a seemingly hopeful approach to a great international spectacle which is fast approaching on their vast horizon.
And for these few days it struck me that it was a very good thing to be a Canadian on the threshold of the Olympic Winter Games in South Korea.
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