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HomeNewsOlympic gold medalist Anna Hasselborg excited to be back in North Bay

Olympic gold medalist Anna Hasselborg excited to be back in North Bay

North Bay was always a hockey town, there was never a doubt about that.

With the way the town came out in droves to support the North Bay Battalion on their march to the OHL Finals in 2014 along with the run to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2015, the hockey craze is certainly there. For those who can remember, it was a nice call back to the 1994 championship run of the hometown Centennials.

In 2007 the city even hosted two NHL teams, the New York Islanders and Atlanta Thrashers (now Winnipeg Jets) for Hockeyville. But one even that might have topped them all was the 2018 World Women’s Curling Championship.

Anna Hasselborg, the native of Sweden, lost to Jennifer Jones and the Canadians at that event, is back in town now for the Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling.

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“It feels amazing to play the first slam of the season here in North Bay,” Hasselborg said shortly after a practice round at Memorial Gardens. “North Bay has a really special place in our hearts.”

The crowd throughout that event really embraced all the curling teams, not just the Canadians and because of that, Hasselborg said it was something they leaned on in matches.

“We were really tired after the Olympics and we struggled with our energy level for the whole week,” Hasselborg explained. “I can genuinely say that the result wouldn’t have been the same without the audience supporting us. We really got some energy from the packed stands and they supported us like we were one of them and it was a very special feeling.

“I am 100 per cent sure that it really helped us go all the way to the final.”

High praise indeed from Anna, as the team was fresh off an Olympic gold medal performance at PyeongChang South Korea.

“It was amazing, the most fun you can have,” Hasselborg stated. “It says something about the team, what you can accomplish. We really had an amazing week at the Olympics and I think that is why it went so well.”

Looking ahead however, Hasselborg has her eyes on the prize at the Masters in North Bay.

“We are taking a little bit of a slower season, but we feel really comfortable with the season that we have scheduled,” Hasselborg explained. “We are excited to play the best teams in the world and we know you have to play on top every time you go out on the ice because anyone can beat anyone.

“We are really excited to play here and play well and focus on our own game and make some good shots.”

With praise like that from an Olympic gold medalist, North Bay is still a hockey town, but it might be safe to say that curling has become the 1B when it comes to the most popular sport in town.

Curlers get a practice round in before the Grand Slam of Curling opens. (Kortney Kenney MyWestNipissingNow.com)
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