Hello from Ottawa! I made it here with no issues! The Philly airport was like a ghost town - clearly people don't like fly on a holiday! The plane up to Ottawa was super small, I think it held about 40 people and was only half full. We arrived in 1:10 and I was able to get through customs pretty quickly. After exiting customs I found our guide waiting for me with Marie, who had just arrived from France. He took us back to the hotel which was only about 15 minutes from the airport. On the way we drove along the famous Ottawa Canal. During the winter the canal freezes and people skate up and down the city. Unfortunately it is a little too warm right now and the ice has started to melt but I imagine that has to be a pretty neat way to get around.
Once I got to the hotel, which is really nice, I found out that I'm rooming with Stephanie Gagnon from Canada. Stephanie was with me in Czech Republic last year and is super nice so I was excited to find out I was with her. I was able to unpack my bags and get settled just in time for our meeting at 7:00.
The 7:00 meeting was quick but very eventful. First received our meal money (in Canadian currency) and breakfast passes for the week. Then we received per diem money from the IIHF in Swiss Francs. Thank goodness there is a safe in the room because between Stephanie and I there is a ton of cash in here! After getting paid we received all of our gear for the tournament. I was given a jersey, helmet, small visor (so glad I didn't buy a new one before I left!), track suit, polo and a really nice jacket. And shockingly, just about everything fits! The only thing that is a little big is the sweater but at least it is wearable this year, unlike last year where it was literally a dress (for my hockey friends, I was given a 48 last year - I normally wear a 44 women's cut). After getting all of our gear, the supervisors gathered us up and gave us the plan for tomorrow. We have to meet early in the morning at Scotia Bank (the big arena) to have our headshots and group photo taken in all our new gear. Following the photo session we are going to skate a bit to allow everyone to get used to the ice and get a sweat in. After the skate we'll have our big meeting where we will go over all the details for the tournament. Before we broke away for the night they sent us into a meeting room where we all had a welcome basket waiting. We were all pretty speechless when we saw everything that was in there. Along with a bunch of information on the city, there were two nice little bags, playing cards, stationary and some snacks. However, the theme of the basket was clearly alcohol because also included was a bottle of cider, a bottle of Crown Royal, a flask, a shot glass, and a wine stopper, all with the tournament logo (including on the bottle of Crown Royal). It was awesome! I have to laugh though, does the tournament committee think we are going to need all this alcohol? Plus I never drink during these tournaments anyway so if anyone likes Crown Royal stop by my house when I get home. Regardless, they clearly went all out and it is very much appreciated, we all thought it was awesome.
After taking our haul back to our rooms, many of the Europeans crashed. I feel their pain, adjusting to a new time zone that is 7+ hours different is really tough. A few of us ran out to a local pub to get a quick bite to eat before retiring to our rooms. Early morning tomorrow so as soon as I'm finished this entry it is time to crash. Happy Easter everyone!
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