Canada at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games | The Canadian Encyclopedia

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Canada at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games

The 2014 Olympic Winter Games were held in Sochi, Russia, from 7 to 23 February 2014. Canada sent 222 athletes and finished fourth in the overall medal count with 25 medals (10 gold, 10 silver, 5 bronze). Slopestyle skiing, slopestyle snowboarding, halfpipe skiing, snowboard parallel slalom, biathlon mixed relay, women’s ski jumping, luge team relay and team figure skating debuted at the 2014 Games. Canadian athletes won gold medals in hockey, curling, bobsleigh, short track speed skating and freestyle skiing. They dominated the podium in freestyle skiing, winning nine medals in total (four gold, four silver and one bronze).
Dara Howell and Kim Lamarre
Canadians Dara Howell and Kim Lamarre win gold and bronze in ladies' ski slopestyle at the 2014 Sochi Olympic Winter Games in Krasnaya Polyna, Russia (11 Feb 2014).
Devon Kershaw
Devon Kershaw competing in the Men's 15km Classical (cross country skiing) at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games (14 Feb 2014).
Zina Kocher
Canada's Zina Kocher competes in the Women's 7.5km Biathlon Sprint at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Krasnaya Polyna, Russia (9 Feb 2014).
Ben Thomsen
Canada's Ben Thomsen crests the final jump during the men's downhill at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia (8 February 2014).

2014 Olympic Winter Games at Sochi, Russia

The 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi will be remembered by many for its controversies. The Russian government spent about $22 billion on sports-related costs for the Olympic Winter Games, more than the cost of all previous Olympic Winter Games combined (this figure does not include infrastructure costs). More controversial was the Russia government’s anti-gay propaganda law, which came under criticism leading up to the 2014 Olympic Winter Games.

The Sochi Olympics also suffered from a doping controversy following the Games. In 2016, Richard McLaren, a Canadian sports law professor at the University of Western Ontario, published a study alleging that 1,000 Russian athletes in winter and summer sports had either been involved in or benefited from a doping program between 2011 and 2015. The following year, the International Olympic Committee determined that Russian athletes had participated in a state-sponsored doping scheme during the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi. Russia lost 13 medals from the 2014 Games in Sochi and was not allowed to participate as a country at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang (individual Russian athletes could still participate as “Olympic Athletes from Russia”). However, on 1 February 2018, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) reinstated nine of the medals won by Russian athletes at the 2014 Games, stating that there was insufficient evidence of doping. The CAS decision affected the Canadian luge team, which returned to a fourth-place finish in the mixed team relay luge event after temporarily winning Olympic bronze.

Kingsbury and Bilodeau, Sochi 2014
Canada's Mikael Kingsbury, left, and Alex Bilodeau celebrate their silver and gold medals in Men's Moguls at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics. Bilodeau successfully defended his gold medal from the Vancouver games.

Skiing

Canada had outstanding success in freestyle skiing, winning nine medals. Alexandre Bilodeau defended his gold medal in men’s moguls, while teammate Mikaël Kingsbury took silver. Bilodeau became the first two-time Olympic gold medalist in the history of men’s moguls.

Justine and Chloe Dufour-Lapointe
Justine Dufour-Lapointe, middle, and her sister Chloe Dufour-Lapointe finish one-two at the Ladies' Moguls at the 2014 Sochi Olympic Winter Games in Krasnaya Polyna, Russia (8 Feb 2014). Hannah Kearney of the United States finished third.

Justine Dufour-Lapointe won gold in women’s moguls, with sister Chloé winning silver. It was the first time that two Canadian sisters were on the same podium during the Olympic Winter Games. It was also the fourth time in the history of the Olympic Winter Games that two sisters won Olympic gold and silver in the same event. (Christine and Marielle Goitschel of France won gold and silver in the women’s slalom and giant slalom at the 1964 Olympic Winter Games in Innsbruck, while Doris and Angelika Neuner of Austria won gold and silver in women’s luge at the 1992 Olympic Winter Games in Albertville.)

Marielle Thompson and Kelsey Serwa
Canada's gold medalist Marielle Thompson, left, and silver medalist Kelsey Serwa celebrate their one-two win in ladies' ski cross at the 2014 Sochi Olympic Winter Games in Krasnaya Polyna, Russia (21 Feb 2014).

Canadians dominated the Olympic podium in two other freestyle skiing events. Marielle Thompson and Kelsey Serwa took gold and silver in women’s ski cross, and Dara Howell and Kim Lamarre took gold and bronze in women’s slopestyle skiing. Meanwhile, Mike Riddle won silver in men’s halfpipe skiing.

Mike Riddle
Mike Riddle won a silver medal in men's halfpipe skiing at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi Russia.

In alpine skiing, Jan Hudec won bronze in the men’s super giant slalom, tying with American Bode Miller. Hudec was the first Canadian to win an Olympic medal in alpine skiing since Edi Podivinsky’s bronze medal in the men’s downhill competition at the 1994 Olympic Winter Games in Lillehammer.

Jan Hudec
Canada's Jan Hudec celebrates a third-place finish during the flower ceremony in men's super-G at the 2014 Sochi Olympic Winter Games in Krasnaya Polyana, Russia (16 Feb 2014).

Snowboarding

Heading into the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, there was a lot of interest in snowboarder Mark McMorris due to his success at the Winter X Games and the FIS World Snowboarding Championships. Although the 20-year-old from Regina had broken his rib at the 2014 Winter X Games in Aspen, Colorado, he still won Olympic bronze in the slopestyle snowboarding competition.

Mark McMorris, Sochi 2014
Canadian snowboarder Mark McMorris at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia.

Dominique Maltais won silver in women’s snowboard cross, becoming the first woman to win two career Olympic medals in the event. She had previously won bronze at the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Turin.

Dominique Maltais
Canada's Dominique Maltais competes in Ladies' Snowboard Cross at the 2014 Sochi Olympic Winter Games in Krasnaya Polyna, Russia (16 Feb 2014).

Speed Skating (Short and Long Track)

For the second consecutive Olympic Winter Games, Charles Hamelin won an individual gold medal in short track speed skating. Hamelin won the men’s 1500m in Sochi after winning the men’s 500m at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver. His teammate, 22-year-old Charle Cournoyer, won a surprise bronze in the men’s 500m. Cournoyer had won only two individual World Cup medals to that point and had not won an individual medal on the 2013 World Cup circuit leading up to the Games. In women’s short track speed skating, Canada won a medal for the seventh straight time in the women’s 3000m relay.

Charle Cournoyer
Charle Cournoyer, bronze medalist in the men's 500m short track speed skating at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia.
Charles Hamelin, Sochi 2014
Charles Hamelin celebrates his gold medal in men's 1500m short track speed skating at the Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia (10 Feb 2014).
DID YOU KNOW?
At 12:58 p.m. ET on 21 February 2014, short track speed skater Charle Cournoyer crossed the finish line at the Iceberg Skating Palace in the men’s 500m to win bronze. At the exact same time, Jamie Benn scored the game-winning goal in Canada’s 1–0 win over the United States in the semifinals of the Olympic men’s hockey tournament at the Bolshoy Ice Dome.

In long track speed skating, Denny Morrison won silver in the men’s 1000m and bronze in the men’s 1500m, becoming the fourth Canadian man to win multiple medals in long track speed skating at a single Olympic Winter Games. (Alex Hurd won silver in the men’s 1500m and bronze in the men’s 500m at the 1932 Olympic Winter Games in Lake Placid; William Logan won bronze in the men’s 1500m and 5000m at the 1932 Olympic Winter Games in Lake Placid; and Gaétan Boucher won gold in the men’s 1000m and 1500m and bronze in the men’s 500m at the 1984 Olympic Winter Games in Sarajevo.)

Denny Morrison, 1000m, Sochi 2014
Canada's Denny Morrison competing in men's 1000m long track speed skating at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia (12 Feb 2014)

Figure Skating

Team figure skating was contested at the Olympic Winter Games for the first time in 2014. Team Canada won silver with 65 points, 10 points behind Russia and five points ahead of the United States.

Patrick Chan, Sochi 2014
Patrick Chan receives his silver medal in men's figure skating at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia (15 February 2014).

Three-time world champion Patrick Chan won the Olympic silver medal behind Japan’s Yuzuru Hanyu, while reigning Olympic champions Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir had to settle for silver behind Americans Meryl Davis and Charlie White.

Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, Sochi 2014
Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir receive their silver medals in figure skating ice dance at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia (18 February 2014)

Bobsled

Kaillie Humphries and Heather Moyse successfully defended their Olympic gold medal in women’s bobsled at the 2014 Games. After the first two runs, Humphries and Moyse trailed Americans Elana Meyers and Lauryn Williams by 0.23 seconds. However, they closed the gap to 0.11 seconds in the third run. They then beat the Americans on the fourth run by 0.21 seconds to win Olympic gold by a tenth of a second. The best result for the Canadian men’s bobsled team was a sixth-place finish by Justin Kripps and Bryan Barnett in the two-man competition.

Humphries and Moyse, Gold Medal Run, Sochi 2014
Canada's Kaillie Humphries and Heather Moyse celebrate their gold medal run in the two-man bobsleigh at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics in Krasnaya Polyna, Russia (19 February 2014).

Hockey

For the second consecutive Olympic Winter Games, Team Canada finished on top of the podium in men’s and women’s hockey. For the women, it was their fourth consecutive Olympic gold medal.

Women's Hockey Team 2014
Canada defeats the United States 3–2 In overtime to win the gold medal in women's hockey game at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia (20 Feb 2014).
Men's Hockey Team 2014
Canada celebrates their win over Sweden 3–0 in the men's hockey gold medal game at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia (23 Feb 2014).

In men’s hockey, the Canadian team was known for its stellar defense. In six games, Canada gave up a total of only three goals. Goaltender Carey Price had an impressive goals-against average of 0.59 in five games. In the final, Canada beat Sweden 3–0 to take the gold medal.

In women’s hockey, Canada trailed the United States 2–0 in the gold medal game with less than four minutes left in the third period. In a dramatic finish, Brianne Jenner and Marie-Philip Poulin each scored for Canada to tie the game. Poulin the scored the winning goal in overtime on a power play from Laura Fortino. The final score was 3–2.

Curling

In curling, Team Canada defeated Sweden 6–3 in the gold medal final in women’s curling and Great Britain 9–3 in the gold medal game in men’s curling. The Canadian women’s team, skipped by Jennifer Jones of Winnipeg, won all eleven of their games. They were the first Olympic women’s curling team to go undefeated at an Olympic Winter Games.

Women's Curling Team 2014
Left to right: Kirsten Wall, Dawn Askin, Jill Officer, Kaitlyn Lawes, and Jennifer Jones pose with their gold medals in women's curling at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia (22 Feb 2014).
Men's Curling Team 2014
Left to right: Brad Jacobs, Ryan Fry, E.J. Harnden, Ryan Harnden, and Caleb Flaxey receive their gold medals in men's curling at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia (22 Feb 2014).

On the men’s side, the team was skipped by Brad Jacobs of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. The team got off to a slow start with two close losses to Switzerland and Sweden in their first three games. However, the team bounced back with six consecutive round robin victories and a 10–6 semifinal win over China before becoming the third consecutive Canadian men’s curling team to win Olympic gold.

Team Canada Statistics

Team: 222 athletes (123 men, 99 women)
Medals: 25 medals: 10 gold, 10 silver, 5 bronze
Rank: 4th (overall medal count)

Medal Table

Justine Dufour-Lapointe Moguls (women) Gold
Charles Hamelin 1500m short track speed skating (men) Gold
Alexandre Bilodeau Moguls (men) Gold
Dara Howell Slopestyle skiing (women) Gold
Kaillie Humphries
Heather Moyse
Two-man bobsleigh (women) Gold
Jennifer Jones
Kaitlyn Lawes
Dawn McEwen
Jill Officer
Kirsten Wall
Curling Gold
Meghan Agosta-Marciano
Rebecca Johnston
Lauriane Rougeau
Gillian Apps
Charline Labonté
Natalie Spooner
Mélodie Daoust
Geneviève Lacasse
Shannon Szabados
Laura Fortino
Jocelyne Larocque
Jenn Wakefield
Jayna Hefford
Meaghan Mikkelson
Catherine Ward
Haley Irwin
Caroline Ouellette
Tara Watchorn
Brianne Jenner
Marie-Philip Poulin
Hayley Wickenheiser
Ice hockey (women) Gold
Marielle Thompson Ski cross (women) Gold
Caleb Flaxey
Ryan Fry
E.J. Harnden
Ryan Harnden
Brad Jacobs
Curling (men) Gold
Jamie Benn
Duncan Keith
Mike Smith
Patrice Bergeron
Chris Kunitz
Martin St. Louis
Jay Bouwmeester
Roberto Luongo
P.K. Subban
Jeff Carter
Patrick Marleau
John Tavares
Sidney Crosby
Rick Nash
Jonathan Toews
Drew Doughty
Corey Perry
Marc-Édouard Vlasic
Matt Duchene
Alex Pietrangelo
Shea Weber
Ryan Getzlaf
Carey Price
Dan Hamhuis
Patrick Sharp
Ice hockey (men) Gold
Chloé Dufour-Lapointe Moguls (women) Silver
Patrick Chan
Kevin Reynolds
Kaetlyn Osmond
Tessa Virtue
Scott Moir

Kirsten Moore-Towers
Dylan Moscovitch
Meagan Duhamel
Eric Radford
Team Event, Figure Skating Silver
Mikaël Kingsbury Moguls (men) Silver
Denny Morrison 1000m speed skating (men) Silver
Patrick Chan Figure skating (men) Silver
Dominique Maltais Snowboard cross (women) Silver
Scott Moir and Tessa Virtue Ice dance Silver
Mike Riddle Halfpipe skiing (men) Silver
Marie-Ève Drolet
Jessica Hewitt
Valérie Maltais
Marianne St-Gelais
3000m short track speed skating relay (women) Silver
Kelsey Serwa Ski cross (women) Silver
Mark McMorris Slopestyle snowboarding (men) Bronze
Kim Lamarre Slopestyle skiing (women) Bronze
Denny Morrison 1500m speed skating (men) Bronze
Jan Hudec Super-G alpine skiing (men) Bronze
Charle Cournoyer 500m short track speed skating (men) Bronze

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