Team Norway is not only skilled enough to be in the quarter-finals at the world hockey championship, but the players could also join together and build a house at a moment’s notice.
Half of Norway’s players don’t earn enough as professional hockey players to survive, and many of them have full-time jobs away from the rink. The roster features a couple of carpenters, an electrician and a garage-door installer, not to mention some salesmen and a kindergarten teacher.
“We’ve got it all covered,” Norwegian blue-liner Anders Myrvold joked. “If you need anything, just give us a call. You can’t call the Canadian team. All they can do is play hockey.”
Myrvold, who played 33 games in the NHL, is one of the team’s fortunate full-time players. He spent almost a decade in North America and now plays in Norway’s elite league.
The 32-year-old has never needed a job outside of hockey, but sympathizes with his teammates who are up at 7 a.m. for their jobs and then play road games at night.
“People think playing an 82-game season in the NHL is hard,” said Myrvold, who is one of only five Norwegians who have ever played in the NHL. “This isn’t easy either.”
Espen Knutsen, Bjorn Skaare and active players Patrick Thoreson (Philadelphia) and Ole-Kristian Tollefsen (Columbus) are the other Norwegians who have played in the NHL.
