The oldest player in the Olympics got under the skin of the Canadian coach: "Oh, that annoys me!"

MILANO.

The oldest male ice hockey player’s national team career at the Milano-Cortina Olympics has come to an end.

France’s Pierre-Édouard Bellemare, 40, played his first and last Olympics. His final match was a playoff game, which Germany won 5-1.

– This was my last game. If I had wanted to keep this jersey, we would have had to advance to the quarter-finals. Mentally, the situation is quite tough, Bellemare said after the game according to NHL.

Bellemare scored both his first and last Olympic goal in the match. The shot was saved by Germany’s goalkeeper Philipp Grubauer. He was Bellemare’s teammate both in Colorado Avalanche and Seattle Kraken.

– Emotions surfaced when I squeezed Pierre-Édouard’s hand. I wanted to hug him. He is such a good player. He has had a fantastic career, but he is also an incredibly great person, Grubauer said.

– It was a pleasure to play against him. I played with him for a long time at the NHL level, and it was an honor to be his teammate. He is a true leader.

In his previous match, Bellemare’s France was crushed by Canada with a score of 2-10. Canada’s head coach Jon Cooper praised Bellemare without reservation at that time.

– This is his dream. What is he, 41 years old (note: 40), and still wins every damn faceoff. Oh, that annoys me! Cooper said, laughing.

– He is still in incredible shape, with heart in this business. [Macklin] Celebrini is 19 years old. It’s unbelievable that they are in the same game. Bellemare is a very stylish player.

Bellemare will play until the end of the season in the Swiss league Ajoiessa and then retire completely.

Jaakko Perttilä
X: @JaakkoPerttila