OLDS – An Olds police officer will be playing in the hockey tournament portion of the World Police and Fire Games, taking place July 28 to Aug. 6 in Winnipeg.
More than 8,500 athletes representing law enforcement, firefighters, and police officers from more than 50 countries are expected to participate, playing in more than 60 sports.
Cpl. Leif Svendsen, an operations supervisor at the Olds RCMP detachment, plays defence.
The team, one of several Canadian teams in the tournament, is co-ed. One player is female and it features one firefighter.
The roster includes four players from Alberta. The remainder of the squad hails from as far east as Newfoundland, Svendsen says.
He’s been playing hockey for about 40 years.
Measuring nearly two-metres (6-foot, 5-inches) tall and weighing about 113 kilograms (250 pounds), Svendsen is an imposing presence. During an interview with the Albertan, he was told with that size, he could have been an effective goaltender.
“Maybe back in the day. I don’t know if my knees would take that now," he said with a laugh.
He conceded that his size is an advantage on D but not as much as it might be, because the games in the hockey tournament are non-contact.
"It would help more if it was contact. However, unfortunately this is not contact, so sometimes my size might be a detriment, but my reach always helps.”
Although it’s non-contact, Svendsen said he “absolutely” gets into the corners to dig for the puck. So does the female player on their team, a winger.
“She’s a very strong player. I’ve played against her and with her,” he said.
“It’s always a good time playing against her. She’s very competitive and aggressive, which is spot on."
Svendsen was asked if he likes playing defence.
“Yes – and no,” he said. “It gives me the best of both worlds, I believe, because I get to play the puck a lot more, I think, so on both sides.
“I’m a bit of a offensive defenceman so I’ll also do my job in our zone, but then also pass the puck up into the offensive zone.
"The thing about non-contact hockey is, well, the speedsters can sometimes get around you and you’re not allowed to take them out,” he said with a laugh. “But that’s OK, I manage.”
Svendsen is pretty confident their team, called Canada’s Finest, stands a good chance of winning the tournament.
He said the team won a silver medal in its division in 2017 when the Games were in Los Angles, then in 2019 went onto win gold in China. The squad again won gold at the Games last year when they were hosted in Holland.
Svendsen played on the team in Los Angeles and Holland but skipped the tournament in China.
Although Svendsen is confident the team will do well, it will be challenging to gel because they may not be able to get together for even a practice until just before the games begin.
“If we’re lucky, we might get a scrimmage in place before we actually play a regular game,” he said.
He admits the competition could be especially tough this year though, because, being on home soil, the tournament is expected to include some very good Canadian teams.
Originally from Manitoba, Svendsen has been a police officer for about 20 years. His first posting was in Inuvik, followed by postings or transfers in Manitoba, Calgary and Airdrie before transferring to Olds.
He’s looking forward to both aspects of the Games – not only the chance to compete, but also the opportunity to network and socialize with police and firefighters from around the world.
