Don't worry, Prince George and Team Canada hockey fans.
Brett Connolly is fine, and he's hoping to take on a bigger role as the club chases a gold medal at the IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship.
Connolly, an 18-year-old P.G. resident and the captain of the Prince George Cougars, saw limited action in Canada's tournament opener against Russia on Sunday. In the 6-3 victory, he was handed light duty by head coach Dave Cameron, more as a precaution than anything else.
During a pre-tournament contest against Sweden last Tuesday, Connolly took a blow to the head and had mild concussion-like symptoms after the game.
"Obviously I didn't play as much as I would have liked (against Russia) but it was good to get a first little taste of it," Connolly told The Citizen from his Buffalo hotel room on Monday.
"I think everything with my injury that I had in exhibition is out of the way and I'm looking forward to moving on and contributing and helping the team win."
Team Canada faces the Czech Republic today (1 p.m., TSN).
"We don't want to take any teams lightly," said Connolly, a six-foot-two, 181-pound right winger. "I'm sure the Czech Republic will have a good, strong team and we'll have to play our 'A' game to beat them. I'm looking forward to it and I can't wait."
The Czechs played their first game Monday night and beat Norway x-x.
Coming off the win against Russia, the Canadian players were in high spirits during a Monday practice.
"The guys were pretty upbeat and happy about the result against the Russians," Connolly said.
"I think a little bit of nerves set in to start and I think as the game went along we kind of settled down a little bit and took over in the third. They had us on our heels but we bounced back pretty well."
The game was tied 3-3 after two periods but Ryan Johansen and Brayden Schenn scored power-play goals early in the third to give Canada a cushion. With 27 seconds left to play, Curtis Hamilton added a goal for Canada. Marcus Foligno, Ryan Ellis and Erik Gudbranson were the other Team Canada marksmen. In his limited playing time, Connolly was kept off the scoresheet.
For Connolly, a first-round NHL draft pick of the Tampa Bay Lightning, the game against Russia marked his debut for Canada in the world juniors. Being inside the Team Canada bubble has given him an even greater appreciation for how much this tournament means to all involved -- including the hockey-mad Canadian fan base that packed the seats to see their boys take on a historical rival.
"It was a great atmosphere," Connolly said. "To play in front of that many people was pretty cool. It was a really good experience, for sure.
"Just watching it (in the past) and being a part of it now, it's pretty huge across Canada. To be on the team and contributing, it's pretty cool. I'm looking forward to hopefully winning a gold medal and contributing as much as I can."
