One is being counted on to win gold; the other is admittedly entering the Olympics as a dark horse.
But together, Cole Harbour hockey superstar Sidney Crosby and Dartmouth snowboarder Sarah Conrad will carry Nova Scotia’s colours at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
It’s Crosby’s first Olympics and Conrad’s second.
“I’ve really had my sights sent on Vancouver,” said the 24-year-old Conrad. “I’m really excited to compete on home soil and have the home town, home country behind me.”
Canadian fans, rightly or wrongly, expect nothing less than gold from Crosby and the men’s hockey team after a disappointing finish at the Turin Games in 2006.
The Pittsburgh Penguins captain looks up to the task, fourth in NHL scoring with 74 points in 59 games.
Conrad, a half-pipe rider who placed 16th in Turin, has had a strong season, including a fourth-place finish at a World Cup last month. But she isn’t in the spotlight like Crosby.
“There hasn’t been as much focus on the pipe team,” said Conrad. “We’ve been off the hook for a lot of media requests and we’re coming in as dark-horses. I like that better.”
The puck drops for Crosby next Tuesday against Norway, while Conrad is set to compete next Thursday.
