Hayley Wickenheiser acknowledged the support of a nation, as well as her “home town of Shaunavon” shortly after the Canadian Women’s Hockey Team captured their third straight Olympic Gold Medal on Thursday.

Canada defended the gold medals won at the 2002 and 2006 Olympic Games with a 2-0 win over archrival U.S. on Thursday at Canada Hockey Place.
“I think winning in Canada is really hard to do,” said Wickenheiser in an interview with The Standard while driving with teammates to media events the day after winning gold. “We just stuck together and were the better team all year and proved that in the game that mattered most.”
Wickenheiser said winning the Olympic title was particularly sweet this time around since it occurred in the team's home country in front of family and friends.
However, she also admitted there was a tremendous amount of pressure on the team as expectations were extremely high.  The entire nation was looking for gold, and anything less would have been a disappointment.
“But we handled it (the pressure) well and we showed everyone that we could perform and that we were well prepared,” she said.
Marie-Philip Poulin the youngest player on the Canadian team at 18, scored a pair of goals in the first period to lead the team's charge against the Americans. Edmonton goaltender Shannon Szabados stopped all 29 shots for the shutout.
Penalty-killing was also a part of the victory equation, and the Canadians wiped out five U.S. power plays, including two five-on-three advantages.
Wickenheiser played a huge role throughout the game, but particularly in the penalty-killing department, setting the tone early by blocking a shot as one of the penalties expired in the first period.
Centre Meghan Agosta of Ruthven, Ont., was named tournament MVP.
Wickenheiser had been named the tournaments' most valuable player in both previous Olympic runs.
Szabados was named to the all-star team, which also included American defencemen Angela Ruggiero and Molly Engstrom and forwards Agosta, Poulin and Jenny Potter of the U.S.
With so many young Canadian players on its roster, the national squad looks poised to be a contender for years to come.
But Wickenheiser, the team's captain, remains an integral part of the Canadian unit and she is still the most recognized athlete on the squad.
At just 31 years of age the Shaunavon native, who has spent more than half of her life on the national team, isn't quite ready to quit.
“I'm going to keep playing - I don't have any plans to retire,” she stated.  “We'll see what happens over the next couple of years. I'll probably take it year by year.”
Prime Minister Stephen Harper was on hand for the gold medal game, sitting with Wayne Gretzky and his wife Janet. Harper joined the team in the dressing room after the game.
“On behalf of the entire country, all Canadians, you made us proud tonight,” he told them. “You played a great game. Canada's game. Tonight, you're the best in the world. Enjoy this moment for the rest of your life.”
After the win, a few Canadian players skated around the ice waving a Canadian flag with a gold Maple Leaf in the centre.
Fans cheered every Canadian player as they got their medals, with an especially loud reception for captain Wickenheiser and Poulin.
The three-peat Canadian club includes St. Pierre, Kellar, Wickenheiser, Cherie Piper, Colleen Sostorics, Caroline Ouellette, Jayna Hefford and Jennifer Botterill.
Although a veteran of many international battles - she now owns one silver and three gold Olympic medals along with a half dozen world championship titles  - the Olympic Games in Vancouver included some important first-time experiences for Wickenheiser.
Not only was this the first time she had served as the team's captain at the Olympics, but she was also asked to deliver the Athlete's Oath during the opening ceremonies.
“It was a really special Olympics and those things don't happen everyday,” she told The Standard. “It was an amazing feeling up there (for the oath), and to think that I was probably speaking to three billion people was a bit surreal.”
Before getting to her media commitments, Wickenheiser expressed her sincere gratitude to residents of Shaunavon and the Southwest for their support.
“Everybody that supported me and helped me get  to where I am in my career are always in my heart,” she stated. “I still feel that's where my home is. All of my best hockey memories are in Shaunavon, and it's part of me wherever I go.”